the leader 2015 - Monmouth Comprehensive School

Transcription

The
Issue 11 • Summer 2015
Leader
Learning to Lead our Lives
The Leader celebrates the achievements and experiences
of our students and chronicles the life of the school
TheLeader Issue 11 - Summer 2015
Student Design & Technology Work
John Hamilton
Charlotte Edge
Bronwyn Crabtree
James Hunt
Jack Bishop
Lauren Isaacs
Caleb England
William Morgan
Joell Williams
Amelia Ralphs
Jake Davies
Callum Wheatley
Jonathan Hilton
Luke Whiting
David Watkins
Maizie Morgan
Tom Buffin
Robert Bowen
2
Will Meadmore
Will Fenn
Welcome
Contents
In 1977, J. Alderton, the Headteacher of Monmouth Secondary
School, wrote in the school “Celebration Magazine” about the
opening of a new school on our current site and reflected: ”No one
knows what the next 10 years or the next 25 will bring. We only
know that there will be change and that change is life”.
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46
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62
67
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87
88
He also went on to write, “As one cycle
in the school’s life is completed
another begins, growing out of and
drawing life from the experience of the
first and the contributions made by
generations of teachers and pupils,
parents, governors and friends”.
This edition of our school magazine
does exactly what Mr Alderton says, it
draws together the threads of
experience at our school as we prepare
over the next years to build a brand
new school. Mr Alderton’s words will
be with us all “there will be change
and change is life” as shown in the
pages of ‘The Leader’.
Vaughan Davies
Headteacher 2015
Editorial
Time marches on, another year has passed and you have before
you the latest edition of The Leader.
We have added a new destination to
our repertoire this year – a group of
our footballers visited Real Madrid over
Easter and, I can quite honestly say, it’s
a long time since I encountered such
excitement following a trip – from
both students and staff! Apparently,
Gareth Bale drove straight past them,
but I’m sure it wasn’t deliberate!
As always, I send my thanks to our
sponsors for their continued support
of The Leader. Without their adverts,
we couldn’t produce The Leader and
send it home for you all to read, free of
charge.
Wendy Baker
Editor
Welcome
Editorial
A Year in the Life...
Reflections on a busy year
Student Art
Why would anyone row?
Sporting Round-up
Clothes Show Live 2014
Literary Festival
Summer Learning 2014
BBC Young Reporters’ Day
Ben Hopkins
The Duke of Edinburgh Award
April and September
Three Peaks Challenge
Engineering Projects
Charity Matters
Ciaran Mann and the Army Cadets
Student Art
Out of School Achievements
Mock Election at MCS
A Capital Workplace
Sweet Success
Learning with Friends
Belgium History Trip
MCS Eisteddfod
Behind the scenes of Sweeney Todd
Student Art
Musings at MCS
World Book Day
Greece Sports Tour
Madrid Football Tour 2015
Music at MCS
Ballad of Remembrance
Student Art
The Great ‘Eggsperiment’
Eine reiche und erfüllende Erahrung
World Challenge Bolivia
Young Ambassadors
Fencing Academy
Monmouth’s Got Talent
Iceland Explored
Sculpture Workshop
5x60 / Academy Programme at MCS
Restorative Award
The Royal Marines
Austria 2014-2015
Lower Sixth Interview Skills Workshop
Work Experience
Notre Voyage Français!
French Debate
Wolfstone Translation
My experience at MCS
Sports Literacy Competition
Vocational
Living and Learning in a New School
As I start... As I leave...
School Photography by Des Pugh,
Official School Photographer
3
A Year in the Life...
Most important news first – no
ducklings!
Our Summer Showcase on 19 June
brought to an end a fabulous year for
the Department of Performing and
Expressive Arts closely followed by
Summer Learning Week and the
inaugural Monmouth Children’s
Literary Festival.
The school welcomed authors and
poets to perform in the Summer
Marquee, entertaining students from
MCS, HMSG and Monmouth
School.
Summer Learning saw our students
ranging far and wide, working in
school and, in a voluntary capacity,
out in the community. Details may
be found on page 18.
We also welcomed Greg Woods from
the WRU who presented the school
with the WRU Schools for Rugby
Award. We were delighted to see
some faces from the past for the
presentation - John Phillips,
John Evans, Stuart Baber and
Jon Osborne - who have
all supported rugby at MCS over the
years.
Our new intake visited us during the
first week of July for Welcome to
Wales, their taster days and their
Welcome Disco, warming up ready
for September.
4
Luke Richards won Designer of the
Year at the 2014 D & T Design Show
with a thoughtfully designed storage
unit for student accommodation.
This event is always visually
stunning, displaying the exam work
of our talented students.
Our Peer Mentors received their
training and certificates during July
and our trips went out to
Llangrannog (see page 45), Belgium
and the Battlefields (see page 42)
and France (see page 80).
World Challenge set out for Bolivia
in the summer, details and photos of
which may be see on pages 62-66.
It looks to have been a most amazing
experience for all involved.
Awards Evening brought a change of
pace this year as Savage Skills
bounced around the Sports Hall on
their mountain bikes in a stunning show
of strength and agility, emphasising
to all there that hard work and
dedication certainly pays off.
MCS student Felix Hales cocomposed a remembrance song, in
tribute to the Bosley Brothers from
the Monmouthshire Regiment,
which was played on Radio Wales
on Friday 7 November. Felix’s
thoughts on this, along with lyrics,
may be found on page 58.
In December, our Y7 students
transformed the Hall with their
Christmas Fair and our
musicians took part in a
concert at Dingestow Village
Hall and in the Monmouth
Candlelit Procession. Reindeers
appeared at the school,
encouraging two strange
elves to appear for a photo
opportunity!
The pantomime trip, annual
Carol Service and Christmas
lunch rounded off the term
and Y12 Physics students Lara
Gordon and Megan KinnimentWilliams proved that Father
Christmas really does exist for our
Christmas Newsletter -something
we were all very glad to hear.
The annual Ski Trip went out just
after Christmas, with skiers and
snowboarders having a fantastic time
(see page 76).
January saw rehearsals steam ahead
for Sweeney Todd, and without
interruption from floods or heavy
snow this year (although high winds
did bring down the marquee!). Our
Faculty of Performing and Expressive
Arts took the audience by storm with
some stunning performances from
the cast (see page 46 for more
details).
Twitter erupted with a deluge of well
deserved praise and audience
members bravely purchased
pies during the interval (it’s
ok, they came from Marks &
Spencer and Wigmores not Mrs
Lovett’s Pie Shop!!).
Later in
January we were delighted to
welcome The Band of Her Majesty’s
Commando Training Centre Royal
Marines. It was a fantastic day for
students and staff, culminating in a
thoroughly enjoyable concert in the
Sports Hall (see page 74).
Our Geography/Geology students
visited Iceland in February (see page
70).
March saw us gazing to the skies
(safely, of course) as we viewed the
partial eclipse, an exciting moment
for those studying astronomy.
Easter trips included the Sports tour
to Greece (see pages 50-53), the
Humanities trip to Munich (see page
61) and the football trip to Real
Madrid (see page 54). Tweets were
flying thick and fast as students had
a wonderful time on all three trips.
Josie Harrison, one of our Y8
students, entered the Glass Prize
2015 – School Section – with her
‘Sword of Agincourt’.
Following a flurry of website and
Twitter activity, we were delighted
to hear that Josie had won that
Section, achieving over 200 more
‘likes’ than the second placed entry
(see page 36) and winning the
year but we are more than happy to
increase this figure – please follow us
on @LearnWithMCS to catch up on
events at the school.
school a glass kiln from
Warm Glass UK.
Our students took part in a Mock
General Election in May and, as we
go to press,
our winning
party is The
Purple Party
(see page 38
for
more
details of the
campaign).
Our Charity
Committee
has, as usual,
risen to the
challenge of
fundraising at
the school (see
pages 30-31),
coming
up
with a variety
of events for
the students
and staff to
take part in.
Our Twitter
followers have
increased to
over 1,000 this
5
Reflections on a busy year
Emily Pardington Head Girl
Michael Ellis Head Boy
I'm told that all good things must come to an end and it
certainly feels like that's the case as my time as Head Girl
reaches its conclusion. It's hard to believe that it's over a
year since I was putting my presentation together,
brushing up on my speech and standing with all the other
nervous candidates waiting for my chance to speak to the
School Council. I'm sure that I wasn't the only person who
considered withdrawing my candidacy on the day but I'm
glad that I didn't because the last year has been a fantastic
experience and one that I've really enjoyed.
This year has been the busiest year of my life, but also the
one I am most proud of. An exciting journey that I hadn’t
envisaged and one that has been totally breathless. We
will all question our legacy and I do quite a lot - have I
made a difference? Have I really inspired younger
generations? Were my speeches actually any good? The
fact is I don’t know and never will know.
I didn't expect to be selected as Head Girl, there were so
many strong candidates that I didn't think I had a chance,
so I was more than a little surprised when I heard my
name called out! My surprise very quickly turned to joy
as I took the news in and then, if I'm honest, a little bit
of fear when I thought about the responsibility I'd taken on and the
speeches I'd have to make.
My first speech was at New Entrants’ Evening in July and it was a real
pleasure to speak to the new students who would be joining us in
September and share with them my memories of joining Y7. Coming to a
new school is a daunting experience and I'd like to think that I helped them
feel welcome and overcome any worries that they may have had. Our next
outing was in September when we gave a speech at Awards Evening and
had the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of students throughout
the school who excelled in a particular subject or sport or been recognised
for putting in an outstanding effort. This was very much the biggest
audience that I'd ever spoken to and the biggest that we would speak to all
year, it was also the worst my nerves would be throughout the year too! I
managed to get through my speech thanks to some controlled breathing
and, by the end of it, realised that I actually quite liked speaking in public.
From September onwards we were kept quite busy and we were fortunate
enough to enjoy a meal with the Chairman of Monmouthshire County
Council, lay a memorial wreath on behalf of MCS at the Remembrance Day
Parade in November, speak at the Open and Pre-Sixth Form Evenings as well
as speaking at various assemblies, writing articles for the school newsletter
and meeting with school governors.
I think that the most important speech we made was to Y11 students when
we spoke to them about the Welsh Baccalaureate qualification because they
were concerned that it didn't hold value as a formal qualification. I really
enjoyed explaining how interesting we'd found it and how universities were
making offers including Welsh Bacc so I was delighted when my own offer,
from a university in England, came through recognising the Welsh
Baccalaureate.
We've had a lot of fun throughout the year too. Serving Christmas lunch to
the whole school is an experience not to be forgotten and the smell of
hundreds of plates of dinner scrapings will live with me for a long time!
However, the most fun that we had would have to have been helping to
organise Monmouth's Got Talent with our colleagues from Monmouth
School and HMSG, I really enjoyed getting to know our fellow Head Boys
and Head Girls. It wasn't easy to select just four acts from all the brilliant acts
that we saw and MCS put up some stiff competition on the night. Harry
Lloyd and his accordion wowed the crowd and we really did think that
Lucinda Merrett had won the show with her amazing rendition of KT
Tunstall's ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’ only to be beaten into second
place. The evening was a fantastic success and we raised over £2,500 for
local charities.
More recently I've helped to select the new Head Boy and Head Girl and their
Deputies for next year and I know that the school will be safe in their hands.
My last duty will be the Y13 Leavers’ Reception when we'll remember the
time that we've spent together and say goodbye to the school that has been
such an important part of our lives for so many years. I think that might be
my most difficult speech.
I've thoroughly enjoyed being Head Girl and working with Michael, Jack and
Thea to support the school. I've learned a lot and, hopefully, given a little
back.
6
I have enjoyed my time as Head Boy - I have done some
amazing things, met some fantastic people, judged some
extra-ordinary talent, worked with a brilliant team,
attempted at least to make the place a happy more smiley
place than it was without me and taken my place in a
warm and welcoming community.
At New Entrants’ Evening I made my first speech, which
was a great time to do so as it was where my journey at
MCS began back in 2008. It was a great opportunity, to make hundreds of
new members of our community feel welcome and as happy as I was made
to feel all those years ago. On Year Six Taster Days it was a pleasure to help out
with CREW giving me the first feeling of responsibility in a school situation.
As Head Boy I was very excited to be invited back to Overmonnow Primary
School to play a part in their Leaver’s Assembly and the investiture of their
new team of officials.
Open Evening was an inspiring event which really showed off our fantastic
community spirit and being able to encourage more students to come to
our oversubscribed school was a tremendous feeling. It was also an
opportunity to answer real questions from real people, making a real
difference. The evening was well organised with a lot of parents and,
particularly, future students interested in our school.
Christmas is a special time of year and hearts filled with generosity as the
School and Accuro Catering provided a free Christmas lunch for all students.
With much festive cheer, a sparkle of ‘Frozen’, some Christmas tunes and
reindeer antlers at the ready, the officials and prefects merrily served up,
tidied up and washed up for Christmas! Even if Y10 looked like they didn’t
want to be there, we still kept smiling and attempted to make them smile
too. Reading at the Carol Service the night before had been a real honour
and helping the younger Readers was also a pleasure. We developed, with the
help of Chair of Governors, Mr McLester, a real team spirit.
Our big event was Monmouth’s Got Talent which started at the auditions
which were fun and we encountered some fantastic talent which we were
able to showcase the best of on stage in March and at the Semi-Finals.
Monmouth’s Got Talent Semi-Final ticket sales were initially quite low but,
contrary to all expectations, an audience numbering more than one man
and his dog arrived to see our semi-finalists who left us with an impossible
task. Who would go through? This was a decision making experience I
wouldn’t wish on anyone else!
The Monmouth’s Got Talent Final was something I wasn’t looking forward
to but, in the end, the hard work of a big team of officials from the three
schools paid off. Exceptional talent, teamed with the best raffle we have
ever had, made it a sure fire winner in fundraising terms.
Although many thought the legendary Harry Lloyd should have been the
winner, taking the event by storm with his accordion playing, it was not to
be and Monmouth School’s Max Weedon was a worthy winner and will
certainly stand out on the festival stage.
As I write this article, a full circle has turned as we interview for our
replacements – helping to appoint those who would step on the
tremendous merry-go-round that I, and the rest of the team, have been on
this year. Interviewing for our replacements was difficult but I’m sure that
Philippa Parry and Reuben Pierrepoint will fare well and will probably write
better farewell letters than me next year!
It will seem strange to leave and, to be honest, I don’t want to. I want to
see the School grow and blossom in its new environment and to see the
new Head Boy and Girl do better than I have ever done. I hope to come back
soon but now I will return my head to its rightful place, which is in a
Mechanics 3 past paper. I have some A-level grades to get (hopefully).
Student Art
Charlotte Berrow
Abigail Birchall
Isabelle Sadler
Bailey Hopkins
Dorothy Laidler
Tom Finn
Chloe Tabberer
Kayleigh Clarke
Jeena Sriphan
Emma Arnett
7
Why would anyone row?
ng for
est thi
b
e
h
t
s
?
What i bout rowing
you a
work”
& team
g
in
n
s, win
, Y10
“Fr iend
ds”
- Sam M
ith fr ien
w
g
in
d
e
ucce
g and s
, Y9
“Workin
- Blake
hieved
have ac
I
e
k
li
l
fee
, Y10
able to
.” - Tom
g
in
o
d
“Being
hie, Y9
g worth
.” - Sop
g
in
n
somethin
in
w
ns
ds and
e Cowto
ith fr ien
w
g
in
e
from th
t
“B
n
e
m
com
, Y9
“A good lden.” - Cassie
Y10
is go
- Jacob,
”
.
g
in
it
is exc
“Racing
en you
feel wh ?
t
i
s
e
o
crew
How d
g”
ell in a
atisfyin
row w
ensely s
m
im
d
n
eaven a
e, Y10
“Like h
has
- Charli
training
r
u
o
y
t
a
great th
lly, Y9
“It feels
l” - Mo
fu
s
s
e
ractise
c
c
urs of p
been su
o
h
e
th
ll
el like a
Y10
ible, I fe off ” - Sam B,
d
e
r
c
n
I
“
ob, Y9
id
a
p
ew.” - R
have
r
c
y
m
me and
roud of
ngs.”
“I feel p
best feeli
e
th
f
o
one
ing. It’s
, Y11
“Amaz
s
- Eloise
d prove
smile an gs
e
m
s
e
k
in
ma
ly mor n
time it
ork, ear
“Ever y
w
d
,
r
e
a
ti
h
a Y9
that the rs pay off.” - K
ainst
te
tance ag
and blis
is
s
e
r
o
re is n
ck, Y9
like the
ll.” - Ja
a
“It feels
t
a
r
d
the wate
pr ide an
sense of
a
u
9
o
y
Y
s
,
“It give ment.” - Darcy
achieve
s hurt?
r hand
u
o
y
n
o
y
a troph
listers
are also
Don’t b
y
e
e
b
th
t
to
u
urt, b
ething
“They h ogress and som
9
r
p
ily S, Y
of your
f ” - Em
o
,
d
u
o
r
p
ok gross
d they lo from a
n
a
o
d
ey
get them
“Yes th
t as well
h
ig
lie, Y9
m
I
but
.” - Mil
y
jo
n
e
I
sport
8
Rowing takes time to get
to be good, it’s very hard
physical work and the
weather can be awful, so
we asked the school’s
rowers why they do it...
Rowing is a lifestyle, it takes
dedication and effort. Morning
sessions before school and evening
sessions. It takes hours of core
workouts and ergo practice.
Nobody has a perfect stroke or
never has anything they can't
improve on. You can only get faster
and stronger and push your limits
every time you row.
Everyone has bad days where they
leave the boat club annoyed and
wishing they did better but it only
makes that rower stronger and
more dedicated, to go back next
session and correct what went
wrong last time. It takes failure
before you can succeed. Blisters
aren't painful anymore, they are
more like battle wounds that show
you how hard you have worked
that session, they don't hurt after a
while they are just a living memory
that are reopened every time you
push yourself to your limits.
The best parts of rowing is the
crew working together, the clicks
of gates every time you take a
stroke. The happy faces and
enjoyment after a successful race
or training session. It's the people
saying we are crazy but they don't
understand what rowing means to
us. It is past being just a sport to
us, it's part of our lives.
Olivia Wells,Y10
Why d
o
you ro
“It’s goo
w?
d fun w
ith my
fr iends”
- Louis,
Y10
“It’s ad
dictive,
tr ying to I find myself c
onstantl
find wa
y
ys to
and bett
er.” - Em get faster
ily D, Y
“It is a
9
ver y str
ess relea
which I
sing spo
really e
rt,
njoy.” Mia, Y
“I enjoy
10
racing a
ll over th
countr y
e
.” - Tom
H, Y9
“It moti
va
better in tes me to do ev
en
school.”
- Anna,
“It’s fun
Y9
and it’s
great fo
r my fitn
- Mega
ess.”
n, Y9
What i
s it lik
e when
“It’s lik
you fa
e a hear
ll in?
t sinkin
g feeling
- Coby,
”
Y10
“There
is an im
pending
mocker y
sense
!” - Ha
r r y D, Y of
“Cold.
11
I sp
exper ien eak from much
ce!” - C
“I got a
assie, Y
9
r ush of
adrenali
pretty m
n
e
.
uch like
d it.” - C I actually
harlie, Y
10
Why d
o you
get up
in the
ea
mor ni
ng to r rly
“Becau
se I am
ow?
dedicate
d.” - Ch
“Rowin
arlie, Y
g is fun
9
, especia
lly befor
school.”
e
W
ulf, Y11
“It’s on
e of the
th
in
g
in rowin
s you h
ave to d
g an
o
for revis d it’s more pra
ctical
ing.” - H
ar r y B,
Y11
“It star
ts the d
really, r
a
y
o
ff
eally we
ll.” - Jos
“Hard
h, Y9
to get o
ut of be
ever y se
d, but w
ssion fo
o
r the pr
ogress m rth it
ade.” - D
C
Reading. I felt this was an amazing
achievement in itself as I spent so long
off the water with the floods at
Christmas, which the River Wye is so
well known for. I was able to stay within
the top ten girls throughout the entire
process.
Training to
Success
It has taken hours and hours of training
in all weathers, but I have finally met my
goal for the year.
I have my first Great Britain cap, two
lycras, a couple of shirts and a hoodie.
Not forgetting winning the gold medal!
The journey started twelve months ago
after
winning
the
National
Championships. There was a lot of
training and my first GB trial in
November, cold and bleak in Eastern
England. I managed to hold my own
against some very tough opponents, who
had a lot more experience than I did. I
had done enough to win a place on the
Great Britain potentials training camp in
France just before Christmas. Staying
away with people I hardly knew, these
girls have now grown to become good
friends through the trials and training
throughout the year.
The final trials were hard work with lots
of head-to-head racing over four
physically intense and mentally draining
days. At the end, the athletes were left to
worry as the coaches had a summary
meeting which went on and on. It was a
heart breaking moment for those who
didn’t make it. Finally, I had made it and
I was ecstatic, with my Mum there with
me to celebrate. I returned home for a
couple of days in order to pack, which
was followed by a three week training
camp in Marlow with my new crew. I
lived with three wonderful and very
different families during this time away
from home.
Then the day came to leave; off to the
airport to fly to Bordeaux in France,
where we raced our quadruple sculling
boat in the Coupe de la Jeunesse (The
European Championships). After an
opening ceremony and a nervous wait
for our first race, our plans fell into place
and we won our heat.
Fantastic
news…we had the fastest time in the
heats going into the final.
After a hard and fast start, we gained a
small lead. Building our rhythm, we
stretched out to a length’s lead at halfway
when the crews behind began to chase
hard. Approaching the finish, we kept
our cool and remained focused on the
goal. We won; relief, delight, exhaustion
overtook us all. My whole family had
travelled to France to see me race and to
share my success with them was very
special.
Standing on the podium with the
national anthem playing was an
experience I will never forget. It made all
the training and major financial costs
worthwhile for my parents and me.
After a summer’s rest, I am even more
determined to do all the training and
trials again this year, but this time harder
than ever before with the goal of
competing and winning a medal at World
Junior Championships to be held in Rio
de Janeiro in August 2015.
Emily Richards
Several more trials in February and April
combined with the never ending land
training of core strength circuits, weights
and ergos to make for a long Winter’s
preparation for the Summer season.
This type of training is a key focus for
the junior women as Great Britain
Rowing push the triallists to raise their
standards for international rowing.
Then, I was finally chosen in the top 20
in the country for the finals trials at the
Great Britain training centre near
9
money for equipment; both purchase
and maintenance, race entries and many
other running costs so fundraisers are of
great importance. Over £300 pounds
Captain’s Review
of the Year
We began the 2014-15 season with the
same determination and focus as in our
previous years. I had been named Club
Captain at the end of the summer
season, a position that I was honoured to
fully to the pieces (perhaps regretting
the lack of exercise taken through the
summer). Soon, the once gruelling
sessions became just another part of our
extensive training programme.
The competitive season opened at our
local event, Monmouth Autumn Head.
This was a successful first event for the
club, with four crews bringing in medalwinning performances. Lauren Waycott
take after five years of rowing for the
Club and as Vice-Captain the year
before. Captain of the Club is a
prestigious and important role,
especially with our membership rising to
over 75 athletes, the most we have ever
had!
Our year began as normal with winter
training. For rowers, winter is the time of
year that involves cold, early mornings
and long distance ergo pieces to build a
foundation for the season ahead. The
focus of this year was particularly on
the 30 minute pieces which can only be
described as two minutes of powerful
and focused rowing, followed by 28
minutes of ever-increasing exhaustion as
the end draws nearer. Never the less,
every single athlete applied themselves
and Emily Richards both won their
single scull races with Emily winning the
title of ‘fastest female sculler of the day’,
following on from her success with the
Great Britain team in the summer. Our
second event was a new one for us. City
of Bristol Autumn Head is a 3,300m
race down the river and into the heart of
Bristol docks, rowing past the SS Great
Britain. What with some very tight turns,
and several bridges down the course
combining with other boat traffic, it was
a challenging but very rewarding course
- especially for J15 (Y10) boys
Sam Bainbridge and Louis Proctor who
won their double sculls event, and for
Sam Morgan who won his single sculls
event. Well done boys.
Soon after these came our first few
fundraising activities of the year. Our
club must be self-sufficient in terms of
10
was raised at the Iceland Bag Packing
event in December with all the athletes
getting stuck in with a smile: a big thank
you to Sarah Bradley who kindly gave up
her entire day to help organise and run
things. This followed £180 from the
“Swish” event in September and a
further £700 was raised at the Race
Night in January, and what a great
evening it was. A big thank you to all
those athletes and parents who helped
with all these events, and especially to
Mark King, the Chairman of the Friends
of MCSBC, who organised and ran the
Race Night evening.
Soon we were racing at Wycliffe. These
races are held on a beautiful (if often
very (!) cold) section of the canal in
Gloucester with the December event
covering a distance of 2,000m and the
following February event covering
around 3,500m. In December, we had
three wins from a large entry of 26
crews, including the Sixth Form Girls
Quad, Emily Richards in her Single and
for myself and Seamus Cooper in a
The Half Marathon fundraiser in March
was a particularly strenuous event and,
quite possibly, the most challenging in
terms of mental strength. Nonetheless
every single athlete in the club, from Year
Double, a further second place for Molly
James in her Single and the two J18 Boys
Quads who both came third in the
respective categories. It was also the first
racing event for many of the new Y9
squad members. In February, the WJ15
(Y10) girls octuple (coxed by Jacob
Sutton) came to a convincing victory
over their opposition. Good job girls and
Jacob.
More recently, the WJ15 girls (again
coxed by Jacob Sutton) picked up
another win for the club at Avon County
Head, showing their increasing
Graham Jephcote for organising
provision of all the lifesaving drinks and
snacks on the route and at the finish, and
thank you to the many parents who gave
up their day to ensure our safety and the
smooth running of the event.
9 to 13, participated with a really
positive (and, in some cases, an
inevitably competitive) attitude. Nearly
£10,000 was raised, which is a
phenomenal total, surpassing the
previous years’ totals. This included Gift
Aid which our charity, The Friends of
MCSBC, is able to claim. A massive
thank you to all athletes and I’ve got to
say, you guys did an awesome job with
the sponsorship. A big thank you to
Currently, our summer regatta season is
underway bringing with it a new style of
racing new to those less experienced
athletes in the club; side-by-side racing.
These ‘sprint’ races will be only 1,000m
or less in length for most events, but
require athletes to reach the very peak of
their power, strength and mental
toughness. Events at Birmingham,
Evesham, Shrewsbury, Monmouth,
Nottingham, Ironbridge and Glasgow
beckon in the term ahead and I wish all
crews good luck in their races.
A final thank you to Mr and Mrs
Cowton for providing such tremendous
coaching and organisation for us, and for
allowing us the opportunity to
participate in the great sport that is
rowing. It’s been a great year to be
Captain!
Ben Metcalfe
development and excellent competitive
attitude. This was again a large entry of
some 17 crews from our club and whilst
we didn’t all win, the atmosphere of
mutual support was just great. Well done
girls.
The National Junior Sculling Head gave
our athletes the chance to row on the
Olympic Lake in Eton against the best
crews in the country. Eight crews went to
this event from all years and they
prepared well and raced hard to perform
well in their categories. This was a
satisfying end to another successful
winter season of training, fundraising
and of course, racing.
11
Sporting Round-up
Athletics
Hockey
Towards the end of the Summer term
2014, MCS took four squads to the
Newport East Athletics Competition.
Each squad, competing against five
other schools, had to finish in the top
two in order to qualify for the South
Girls Hockey
Hockey is continually being played at a
competitive level in MCS. Students in all
Year Groups have participated in the
South Wales Hockey League and have
had numerous successes
in a number of fixtures.
This has been evident
by all teams finishing
in the top half of each
League table in all
respective age groups.
Boys Hockey
Wales competition. The U14 and U16
boys squads and the U16 girls squad
finished third in their respective
competitions but the stand out
performance on the day was from the
U14 girls who finished second,
qualifying for the South Wales
competition the following week.
At the South Wales competition there
were noticeable victories for Y7 students
Josie Harrison (Javelin) and Hannah
Jenkins (1500m), competing against a
range of Y7 and 8 students. As the
competition is a team event, every point
and place in each event mattered. The
girls went into the final event, the relay,
in third place but a fifth place finish
moved the girls down to fourth. All the
girls tried their very best but narrowly
missed out on qualifying for the Welsh
Final.
Squad:
Harriet
Kearsey
7SN,
Josie Harrison 7PY, Hannah Jenkins 7SN,
Darcey Maguire 7TR, Jess West 7KO,
Natasha Makondora 7VE, Sophie Pope
7VE, Katie Kearsey 8NJ, Darcy Birkett
8NJ, Taryn Birkett 8AL and Sophie
Richards 8NJ
12
Boys’ hockey is once
again
gaining
in
popularity with a
number of boys both
training and playing
in competitive fixtures
for the school. The
U12, U14 and U16
squads all represented
MCS in the South Wales Tournament.
The U12’s and U14’s competed in
Swansea with the U14’s finishing in third
place, only one place below being able to
qualify for the Welsh Final. The U16
squad competed in Brecon and finished
a respectable third place against some
strong opposition.
Greece Sports Tour
A number of the hockey players went on
tour to Greece where they undertook a
number of training sessions and played
two competitive fixtures. The level of
hockey on display was exceptional with
the Y10 and 11 girls playing some
outstanding hockey against some strong
competition. One of the main highlights
was the Mayor of the City welcoming us
to their community and thanking us for
promoting hockey in their area.
Netball
It has been a rollercoaster season for the
Y9 Netball Team, with two squads
attending training on a weekly basis they
demonstrated exemplary commitment.
They started with a few tough games
and were unlucky with the outcomes,
but the season finished on a high with a
win - well done girls!!!
The Y10 Netball Team had a
phenomenal season winning all their
games and coming second in the South
East Wales Netball League. The girls
missed out on the League top spot on
goal difference to a strong Bassaleg
team. The team has made fantastic
progress since the start of the year and
we are sure they will go on to achieve
greater accolades as a team and as
individuals in their respective League
teams. A big well done to Ellie Johnson
and Melissa Brooks for consistently
playing with confidence and encouraging
their team mates.
The Y11 Netball team have demonstrated
excellent team cohesion this season.
Focusing on their GCSE’s, the girls have
been unable to train regularly, but
despite this they have gelled together in
competitive situations and won three out
of the three games they played. Holly
Ainge led by example, giving 100%
every time she took to the court.
Dan Brain, Caerleon
were too strong and
MCS crashed out of
the Welsh Cup with a
3-1 loss. To get that far
in the tournament,
however, was a fantastic
achievement
which
raised their confidence
in the Newport Cup.
Football
Girls football has had a fantastic year
with high numbers attending training
each week. The U13s team represented
MCS in the Newport County Girls Cup
Competition. The girls went through the
tournament undefeated, winning all
seven games without conceding a single
goal and were crowned Champions.
Hannah Jenkins and Amber StampDunstan finished the tournament joint
top scorers with seven goals each. The
team went on to represent Newport
County in the Area Finals in Exeter
where they finished 5th overall. A
brilliant effort from all girls involved.
The first round of the
Newport Cup saw a
strong performance v Llanwern with
MCS finishing 5-3 winners. This was
followed by a tense 3-2 Quarter Final
win against Newport High. St Julian’s
provided stern opposition in the Semi
Final but MCS showed their quality with
goals from Dan Brain (2), Johnny Dunckley
(2) and Lewys Bevan resulting in a 5-2
win. MCS then progressed to the
Newport Cup Final where they were
Under
13’s
Girls
Newport
Champions: GK - Cerys Hughes 8VE,
Honor Buckley 8KO, Holly Morgan 7MD,
Gabriella Doody 8VE, Natasha Makondora
8VE, Hope Woods 8PY, Hannah Jenkins
8SN and Amber Stamp-Dunstan 8VE.
The Y7 team have had an incredibly
successful first year at MCS led by
Captain Johnny Dunckley. The Welsh
Cup started early in the season with
MCS winning convincingly 6-0 and 8-0
versus Chepstow and West Mon
respectively. The next round led to
tougher opposition in Croesyceiliog and
only a last minute strike from
Ryan Davies in extra-time saw Y7
through to the last 32. MCS were drawn
away against a strong Caerleon team
and, despite an early goal from
drawn against St Joseph’s, a team they
knew little about. The Final was played
in great conditions which
suited MCS. It was a
nervy first half but MCS
managed a goal just before
half time; Hywel Williams
with a neat finish from a
Lewys Bevan cross. The
second half saw MCS
create numerous chances
hitting the crossbar four
times. St Joseph’s managed
to pull a goal back with ten
minutes remaining from a
free kick but MCS had the
majority of possession and
were determined to find a winner. With
just three minutes remaining, Dan Brain
scored a low drive from within the six
yard box to seal the victory and
MCS were crowned Newport Cup
Champions! Well done boys!
Y7 Football squad for Newport Cup
Final: JackWatkins, Gabe Unsworth, Ryan
Davies, Harry Johnson, Hayden Morris,
Callum Wood, Dan Jones, Dan Brain,
Lewys Bevan, Hywel Williams, Johnny
Dunckley (Captain), Emyr Pullen, Zak
Woods, Zak Morgan, Alex Doody, Tom
Perks.
Y8 had a brilliant season, winning 12 out
of their 15 games played. They were
unlucky to be knocked out of the Welsh
Cup by Chepstow in a thrilling 5-4
match with Chepstow going on to finish
4th in the whole of Wales. Y8 also made
it to the Gwent Cup Semi-Final where
they again met rivals Chepstow who
came out on top once again in another
close game. Y8 eventually got their
revenge by beating Chepstow 1-0 in the
Newport Cup Semi-Final making it to
their first Final. Unfortunately, Y8 lost
2-1 in the Final to Newport High School
in a thrilling match. Ben Hopkins has
been a standout player this year, scoring
vital goals throughout the season and
finishing top goal scorer. Captain Dan
Keane has also had a fantastic season
making crucial saves and leading the
team brilliantly. Dan Brain and Ryan
Davies, both in Y7, have done brilliantly,
playing up a Year Group and becoming
essential players for the Y8 team.
Y8 Football Squad: Dan Keane (C),
Ben Pilot, Theo Haycock, Jay Harris,
Ryan Davies, James Greaney, Matthew
Jones, Frank Pemberton, Ben Hopkins,
Ben Drinkhall, Dan Brain, Sam Williams,
Ben Davies, Archie Hayward, Jacob
Perrella, Scott Jackson, Callum Llanfear
and Harry Newell.
Y9 are fast becoming the nearly men of
MCS reaching three semi-finals in their
three seasons since joining the school.
This season has once again been
successful with good wins in a number
of games culminating in a narrow
Newport Schools Semi-Final defeat to
Bassaleg. The highlight of the season was
the thumping 4-1 Quarter-Final win
13
over reigning Newport and Gwent
Champions St Julian’s, away from home.
Sean Swann finished as top goal scorer
with a combination of pace, power and
skill that proved too much to handle for
most opposition defences. Jordan Suttie
has made excellent progress over the last
season with Joshua Ellis once again a
stand out performer in goal. Greg Powell
also proved he can play pretty much any
position on the pitch with success.
Y9 Football Squad: Joshua Ellis,
Jacob Dover, Rory Meredith, Kyron Smith,
Harrison Nash, Greg Powell, Larsson
Brown, Harry Williams, Liam Martin,
Jordan Suttie, Louis McPherson, Andrew
Beames, Sean Swann, Ben Jones.
Y10 were unlucky with their defeats in
the Cup this season, where they
represented MCS in the Welsh Cup,
Gwent Cup and Newport Cup.
Nathan Hawkins finished the season top
goal scorer and was also MoM during a
thrilling penalty shootout win over
Chepstow in the Gwent Cup 4th round.
Y10 Football Squad: Toby Lane, Tamer
Pullen, Ellis Brown, Luke Brooks, Bailey
Hopkins, Tom Walker,Will Pritchard, Lewis
Davies, Joe Pemberton, Robbie Atkinson,
Sam Vaughan, Nathan Hawkins, Joe
Bayliss, Jack Wear and Henry Williams.
Senior Football
The long Senior football season came to
an end with a match against old rivals
Caerleon which doubled up as a
Newport Schools Semi-Final and a
Gwent Schools Quarter-Final as the
schools were drawn together in both
competitions. Despite taking a 3-0 lead
with goals from Samuel Oxley (2) and
Callum Wheatley, Caerleon mounted a
spirited last 10 minutes and turned the
game on its head completely against the
14
run of play to make it 3-3 and take the
game to extra-time. After just one
minute of the additional period, Caerleon
took the lead and, despite dominating
the rest of the game, MCS could not find
the elusive equaliser and were knocked
out of both competitions. Captain
Callum Wheatley has led by example with
effort, determination and no shortage of
skill all season. George Baynes has held
the defensive unit together but a special
mention must go
to all the Y11s
who stepped up
two Year Groups
to represent the
Senior team and
often be amongst
the best players in
any game. Samuel
Oxley,
Jordan
Heales, Matthew
Macdonald and
Kieran Knight all
played regularly
in the Senior
team.
MCS First XI: Morgen Jeffs, Matteo
Merola-Scott, Kieran Knight, George
Baynes, Max Goodridge, Joseph Coombes,
Jake Coombe, Henry Corcoran, Alex
Cleaves, Ted
Atkinson,
Matthew
Macdonald, Oliver Franklin, Jordan
Heales, Samuel Oxley, Callum Wheatley,
Perys Pullen.
Rugby
The Y7 team have showed great promise
this season under the leadership of
Captain Ollie Scriven. Commitment to
training has been fantastic throughout
the year; even in bad weather there were
good numbers out in the mud, wind and
rain! This has helped the boys gel as a
team and this has been reflected in their
performances on the pitch. In the ten
games played this season, MCS won
seven, drew one and only lost twice.
There have been some standout
performances this season, notably from
Morgan Wainewright, Ollie Scriven, Jon
Pearce and Harry Johnson who have also
represented the Y8 rugby team. In total,
38 students have represented the Y7
rugby team this year; hopefully next
season we will be able to field two teams.
During the summer term, the Y7 rugby
players are developing their skills and
fitness in preparation for next season by
playing Rugby Sevens, a shortened form
of the game. In late April, a Rugby
Sevens festival was held at MCS which
saw thirty MCS students make up three
squads which took on teams from
Bassaleg, Brynmawr and St Julian’s.
MCS A team went on to win the
tournament beating Bassaleg School 2119 in the final thanks to a last minute try
from Jon Pearce. Overall, Y7 rugby has
had an incredibly successful year and it
is fully expected that this success will be
continued next season. Good luck for
next season boys!
Y7 Rugby Sevens team; Callum Wood,
Johnny Dunckley, Troy Taylor-Morgan,
Jamie Strachan, Jonathan Pearce, Lewis
Richards, Oliver Scriven (Captain), Harry
Johnson, Bailey Nash, Beau Cole.
Y8 have had a much improved season
this year, winning four out of the five
games they have played. Cameron
Ogilvie, James Ashton and Jay Harris
have been standout players and were
rewarded with playing up a Year Group
in League fixtures. Ben Pilot and
Cameron Ogilvie have captained the
side well this year with Hunter Guthrie
finishing top try scorer. The squad has
shown great potential this season but
must start attending more training
sessions ahead of a tough season in Y9
as they will be playing in both the
Pontypool District League as well as a
Quad Nations English League.
Y8 Squad: Michael Van Den Bergh, Owen
Bishop, Josie Harrison, Cameron Ogilvie,
Ruben Wallace, Josh Hamblin, Jay Harris,
Joe Ridgway, Brian Rowlands, Ben Pilot,
Callum Lanfear, Hunter Guthrie, James
Aston, Aaron Hickmans, Josh Lewis,
Tom Bush, Isaac Cooper, Flynn
Ruddiforth, Jonathan Pearce (Y7), Harry
Johnson (Y7), Ollie Scriven and Morgan
Wainewright (Y7).
Y11 Rugby League
This season’s Championship Schools
Area Tournaments got underway
throughout the months of November
and December, with MCS progressing
convincingly through the tournament,
booking a place in the Quarter Finals.
The Quarter Final saw MCS travel to
Croeseyceiliog where they once again
recorded another convincing 50 points
to 6 victory with an excellent display of
Rugby League.
MCS then travelled to St Joseph’s for the
Semi-Finals. The game showcased
the talent Wales has in Rugby League
in the area with some outstanding
performances from Nathan Brooks,
Paris
Thomas,
Euan
Gillespie
and James Mear
along with up and
coming Y10 stars
Ellis Brown and
Jack Wear. Once
again, an excellent
display of ferocious
defence and clinical
attacking, led to
MCS overcoming
St Joseph’s 28-14.
Paris Thomas and Dan Whistance, both
again converted by Brooks. Brooks then
went over for our final try but failed with
the conversion which would have
levelled the scores. Instead MCS trailed
28-30. MCS continued to pressurise the
Pencoed defence, but MCS hearts were
broken in the dying moments when
Pencoed broke away scoring a converted
try to regain their Welsh School trophy
with a 36-28 win.
Monmouth travelled
to Taffs Well on
the 7 May where
they put in an
outstanding performance in the Welsh
Schools Final. MCS went into the
half time interval trailing 12 points
to 20 with all the
points
coming
from our captain,
Nathan
Brooks,
converting from two
outstanding tries.
The second half was
played at a ferocious
pace and was end to
end stuff. Further
tries came from
Squad: Jack Davies, Lewys Bufton,
Alan Hawkins, Jack Wear, James Mear,
Euan Gillespie, Dan Whistance, Paris
Thomas, Nathan Brooks, Ellis Brown,
Owen Walters, Jordan Heales, Michael
Ridgway, Jack Moore, Kieran Knight,
Louis Macfarlane.
15
Clothes Show Live 2014
As part of our textiles GCSE course we visited the NEC in
Birmingham to experience The Clothes Show Live
exhibition. The event was highly educational, fascinating
and fun all at the same time.
Not only did we practice our design
skills in the educational hall, we found
inspiration from up and coming
designers who were showcasing their
talent in the many catwalk shows found
around the eventing area.
We took a particular interest in the
Julien MacDonald display as it was
relevant to our current project on the
Welsh Designer’s A/W14 collection as
elements of his work is being used to
inspire shift dresses that we are in the
process of making.
Upon entering the Hall we had a chance
to capture our own perspectives on
everything to do with the fashion world.
We discovered new experiences and learnt
equally about the design process as well
as the production of the garments themselves.
The day was full of learning and
experiences that we will carry through
our course with us and we can look back
on as we proceed to design and make
more creations.
After wandering around all the stalls in
the Hall, we gathered together to watch
the main show. From the show we learnt
that because the garments were designed
for the catwalk and not everyday use,
they can use simpler construction
methods instead of a more couture
approach, like the French seam. The
designs varied from swim suits to luxury
gowns for us to gain inspiration for our
current and future designs.
As we got onto the coach and travelled
home the atmosphere was buzzing,
everyone was discussing what they had
learnt and just how much time and
effort would go into each and every
garment that was made. Everyone had a
wonderful day and I’m sure that they
will all be attending next year as we
know we will be.
Naiomi Armitage, Hatty Weaver,
Alice Glen, 10RP
16
Literary Festival
Students form MCS, Monmouth School and HMSG, united through their love of reading, organised a
week-long event which has raised the bar for young peoples’ Literary Festivals.
The three schools collaborated to invite a diverse group of
poets and authors to perform, speak and sign books in
various venues across Monmouth.
The inaugural Monmouth Young Peoples’ Literary Festival,
held between 23rd and 27th June, gave more than 1000
students from ten schools the chance to get involved and
discover new writing as well as classic works. Students
also took part in poetry writing workshops during the
week using Monmouth as their inspiration.
On Wednesday morning, Daniel Morden, a professional
storyteller and author of Tree of Leaf and Flame and Dark
Tales from the Woods, chatted with students at
Monmouth School and in the afternoon Philip Wells,
more widely known as 'The Fire Poet', joined students in
the MCS marquee.
Mr Wells had stopped off during his epic 1,000 miles
barefoot walk through England and Wales, from St
Michael's Mount to Anglesey, followed the footsteps of
Bards, Romans, Neolithic dreamers and, according to the
legend, Christ himself. The 1,000 miles represents the
1,000,000,000 children living in poverty in the world.
On Thursday Leo Aylen entertained students from the
three schools in the marquee. Mr Aylen’s poems are
miniature plays in a variety of settings and include riddles,
puns, verbal acrobatics and audience participation. In no
time at all he had the students tongue-tied and in gales of
laughter!
On Friday, students surprised members of the public with
impromptu pop-up poetry performances outside Shire
Hall in town, inside Waitrose and at Coffee #1.
This will be an annual event at MCS and 2015 will see the
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy in attendance.
17
Summer Learning 2014
A Summer to Remember
For Summer Learning Week, Y7 went on residential trips to a
range of activity centres including Talybont, where my Form
stayed for three days. The Year Group also got involved with
many summer related activities on site.
My Form were away for the first half of the week, having a
great time at Talybont. We chose our rooms and who we shared
with, and settled in. We then had tea at the centre - pizza or
cheeseburgers - which was really tasty. The staff were all really
friendly, gave us a warm welcome and we all settled in quickly.
That afternoon we were split into activity groups and taken by
minibus to a canal. It was very exciting to be out on the water
with some of my friends. We paddled in pairs for a few hours,
splashing and having great fun in the gunky water. We all
jumped in and took some “selfies” under our upturned
canoes. We returned to the centre for tea followed by a game
of football. At 10pm we were told to go to our bedrooms and
calm down after all the excitement of staying away from home.
The following morning, after a full English breakfast, we had
a room inspection - my room achieved a full 4 out of 10 (mum
would be proud!)
We then set off on a river walk which led to a waterfall which
we had fun messing around in, followed by a refreshing lunch
and change of clothes back at the centre, then another game of
football.
We went to get the bikes out of the shed at the centre, they
were a bit tricky to get used to but we all managed to adjust to
them. We did an obstacle course including a limbo which was
a battle between my two mates - Aaron and Eloise - but
eventually Aaron got the lowest possible bike limbo. After the
18
obstacle course we went on a bike ride alongside the canal and
up a hill; we did a bit of follow the leader during the journey.
Time for bed; we all settled down, had a chat and eventually
we went to sleep.
We soon returned for tea, pasta and meatballs, it was great!
We had a good chat and caught up with what the other groups
had been doing; we all had an amazing day!
The next day we went orienteering and roamed around the
countryside looking for checkpoints, we met some friendly,
wild ponies, which we were distracted by, but we got back on
task and it was a great day for it. Sadly, we had to go home
from a brilliant three days. We had such a great time!
Outside after tea we joined in with a few activities and games,
followed by another game of football, Mrs Edwards was our
captain. A lot of people surprised us with their football skills.
The rest of the week we
were at school, off time
table, getting involved
with a load of activities
we wouldn’t normally
do. First we went to a
tent to listen to a famous
poet tell us his stories
and rhymes as part of
the Literary Festival. We
also took part in Zumba,
made piñatas, and lots
more.
I’d just like to thank
MCS and Talybont for
such a great week!
Jay Hardy, 7VE
Young Enterprise and
Sense of Wales
Monday - It’s A Knock-Out/
Orienteering
On the first morning, all Y9s took part in It’s A Knock-Out
with each Form Group working in small groups and
experiencing different team building activities.
Our group had an obstacle course which included
approximately five activities. The best activity, crawling
between hay bales while being underneath tarpaulin, was
extremely hot as this was probably the hottest day of the year
19
so far. Other activities included wellie throwing, guessing the
flags (which nations were involved in the World Cup)and
three-legged football. We had fun, too, racing through tyre
drills - doesn’t sound too hard does it? Well, you try it in water
logged wellies!
Orienteering was in the afternoon - we stayed in the same
group as the morning and were given instructions to find our
way around Monmouth. Teaching staff were at checkpoints to
sign your paper. The winning team had a prize - I think!
Wednesday - Sense of Wales
Y9 had a day off-site to experience different locations in South
Wales. Our group was lucky enough to visit Cardiff
Millennium Stadium. We had a tour of the stadium which
included going into the Welsh Rugby and Football changing
rooms. We were surprised that they had a separate changing
room for rugby and football. The player’s names are labelled
on their clothes hooks and their shirts were on display. We
were also allowed to walk through the tunnel to the pitch, it
was huge!
Other groups went to Millennium Centre, Welsh Assembly,
Castle Coch, and Big Pit.
Thursday - Walk
Each Y9 student was able to choose which walk they would like
to do. The Kymin, Skenfrith – Swan Walk or the Skirrid.
The Skirrid walk was my choice. We were taken on two buses
and dropped off at the bottom of the mountain. Another hot
Tuesday - Young Enterprise
During our Integrated Curriculum lessons in Y9 we have been
planning our Young Enterprise event. Working in small groups
within our Forms, we had to set up our own business and sell
products or provide a service to make the highest profit. The
day was great fun and many stalls were able to display their
products outside in the sunshine. Lots of cake and sweet stalls,
ice creams sellers, tie-dye t shirt stalls, wooden plaques, Xbox
FIFA tournament, guess the name of the teddy, and lots more.
My team and I ran an Xbox FIFA tournament.
20
day, so lots of water was required to get us to the top. The walk
started quite easy and then it suddenly got really steep. At the
top the view was amazing, you could see for miles!
Friday - Dragon’s Den
In the morning Y9 Form Groups found out the results of
Tuesday’s Young Enterprise. We were given an envelope with
our profit. A group from each Form had to give a presentation
on their business enterprise. The finalists were then able to
present to the rest of the Year Group in the afternoon and the
Dragon’s awarded the best group.
It was a really fun week with lots of variety, my favourite
Summer Learning Week so far.
Henry Williams, 9PN
21
BBC Young Reporters’ Day -
Meeting the Deadline
March 19th was BBC Young
Reporters’ Day, an event which
gave young people like us a
chance to shine. In our Forms,
we created our own BBC style
news reports.
Our Form reported on a range of
subjects, from fundraising to keeping
fit, and I was lucky enough to be
involved in filming a weather report.
Every member of the class played a key
part in making the report. Some
people used technology to film and
enhance, while others were writing
scripts or in front of the cameras.
There was a brilliant atmosphere and
not one moment was wasted in trying
to make the 3pm deadline.
However, it didn’t all run smoothly. We
battled with noise from the dualcarriageway, problems with the light
and low batteries on the filming
equipment, but as a Form we
overcame these obstacles and learnt
from our mistakes. It was an inspiring
and very worthwhile experience which
we all enjoyed. I can guarantee that
everyone next year will enjoy it too!
Alice Barrell, 7MD
23
Ben Hopkins
Sport is something I love, whether it be football or competing on my
ponies, it’s something I always take seriously and always strive to be the
best I can. I've learnt that to be a champion, you have to have highs and
lows, you have to be committed and you have to always try your best.
I compete in two very different sports football and Mounted Games. Both are
team sports but both are very different.
Mounted Games is a sport that we, as a
family, are all involved in. My dad rode
for Great Britain and Wales as a child and
now trains the successful Monmouthshire
Games teams and he is also the 2015
Welsh Team trainer. My mum, who also
competed at Mounted Games in her
younger years, now looks after my
ponies and exercises them whilst I’m at
school. I also have a younger brother
who rides too.
Whilst Mounted Games isn't an
Olympic Sport it is on the pathway and,
who knows, one day I may be at the
Olympics! It’s now a sport that involves
23 nations around the world and recently
Iran has joined our association. Due to
the success of our ever-growing sport,
we have the chance to travel the world
and meet people of all nationalities.
To be able to travel the world and
compete doesn't come easy, it involves
hours of practice and a special
partnership between horse and rider. I
have a very special pony - his name is
Merlin, he's 12.3hh and 19 years old.
My parents bought him for me when I
was eight years old and although it’s not
been easy, we have worked hard and
gained many international titles. Merlin
is well known all around the world, he
currently holds eight World titles, a
European title and numerous British
titles. He is the most successful pony
there has ever been in Mounted Games.
Whilst owning a superstar pony does
help in the quest for major titles, I train
daily not only with Merlin but with other
24
ponies on our yard. In between playing
football and school work, I can ride up to
three ponies every day during the
summer months.
We start our season training in early
November, as we have Welsh Trials in
February and March. Riders from all
over Wales attend these trials, all whom
have been selected by their county in the
past. It involves many hours of cold
nights and frozen toes but this year this
all paid off! I attended the trial to
represent Wales at the Royal Windsor
Horse Show which took
place in May this year.
We travelled to North
Wales for the trial and
competed in a series of
races in front of the panel
of selectors who at the end
selected
myself
and
Emma Lockyer, both from
8CK, to represent Wales at
the home of the Queen and
Prince Philip. We are both
really looking forward to representing
Wales at such a prestigious show, which
is the chance of a lifetime.
Once we knew we were going to
Windsor, we set our eyes on trying to
make the European squad travelling to
Cluny in France this summer. Once again,
a trial was organised and a series of races
took place and not only did Emma and I
get selected, so did Erin Beach, who is
also a Monmouth Comprehensive student!
This is an amazing achievement for all
three of us, as riders from all over Wales
came to the trial and for all three of us to
get in from one area is just unheard of.
At this point I also want to say that whilst
I was selected to represent the Under
14's at the Europeans, my younger
brother Sam, a Raglan Primary School
pupil, was selected on his pony, Elle, to
represent Wales in the Under 12
competition. I have since heard that not
only will I be representing Wales in the
team competition I have also been
selected as an individual too!
Finally, the year was looking really good,
when the opportunity came up to possibly
go to the World Team Championships in
the Under 17's competition. My dad
and I decided to show
some interest and, whilst
not telling my mum, let the
selectors know I was
available for team selection
to travel to Florida in
November. I didn't think I
would be selected as this is
the older age group, but
my year got better when
myself and Emma Lockyer
were both selected! We
will travel to Florida in the USA in
November this year to represent Wales at
the World Team Championships!
Its going to be a tough year - I’ve moved
up an age category from 12's to 14's, I’m
the reigning World Individual and World
Pairs Champion as well as British
Champion with my county team, but all
of my successes have only come with a
great pony and a great support team. In
the future I hope that I can take it all as
a positive and develop a career involving
sport in some way. I’m fortunate to be
able to travel the world and it’s all part of
gaining experience that will hopefully
help me as I develop a career.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award
The numbers of students participating
in the Award at Bronze, Silver and Gold
has increased steadily over the last
four years with over 160 students
involved this year.
The Award encourages students not only to become more
independent, but also to learn new skills, learn the value of
working in the community and to enjoy the great outdoors.
The Silver and Gold Award students completed their practice
expeditions at Easter in cool windy conditions in the Black
mountains near Abergavenny.
The Gold assessed expedition takes place in the last week of
July in the Lake District in some of the most outstanding but
arduous landscapes in the country, over four days with three
nights camping with students covering 21km every day
carrying everything they need for the duration.
The Silver expedition takes place later in the Summer term in
the Black Mountains over three days with two nights camping.
The new entrants to the DofE Award at Bronze Level learnt
camp craft, navigation and survival skills on their practice
expedition in early June in the Wye Valley with an overnight
camp at the Biblins campsite near Symond’s Yat. Their
assessed expedition took place during the Summer Learning
Week at the end of June, again in the Black Mountains. For
some this was the first time they had walked with full kit in
wild country and camped out overnight - needless to say they
were very excited about it!
25
April and September
Year 8 student Ben Davies is an exceptional cricketing
talent. The 2014 season saw him chosen to represent
Wales in the Under 12 County Championship.
Ben’s appearances coincided with one of the best winning streaks Wales had for
some time, culminating in a win over champions Yorkshire. Ben also made his
debut for Monmouth CC first team, taking four wickets in his first appearance.
Liam Stubbs is Monmouth Cricket Club’s Sunday League captain. Despite their
age gap, Ben and staff member Liam Stubbs regularly featured in the same
Monmouth Cricket Club team last summer. Here Ben and Liam talk about last
season and compare notes from opposite ends of their playing days
The interview starts with Ben and Liam discussing Junior presentation night at
the club, where the awards were given out by ex-England player and coach
Ashley Giles.
LS: Last Thursday, how good was that?
Were you nervous?
BD: I was, because I’ve always wanted
to meet Ashley. When I found out he
was coming I was excited!
LS: I was nervous standing up and making
my speech. I said to your Dad that I feel less
nervous playing! The only nervous time for
me in the summer was at the start of my
innings against Whitchurch (when LS and
BD defied the league leaders for an hour
and denied them valuable bonus points).
Was that your best batting performance of
the summer?
BD: No! I didn’t get many runs, but I
had a good all round game for Wales – I
dropped a catch though! I didn’t get a
wicket, but in the first innings I went in
at number 8 and made 15 before I was
bowled by a left-armer.
LS: You batted well that day. George
(Williamson, Y11) batted well that day too.
Between the three of us we managed to bat
for over half the innings against the league
leaders and stopped them taking the point.
What was your best bowling of the summer?
BD: Taking five wickets in an innings
for Wales against Middlesex and
getting [former England captain]
Michael Atherton’s son out. That was at
Radleigh College.
LS: Tell me about playing at big stadiums
like Gloucester.
BD: It was my fifth game for Wales. In
my first game I took one wicket, in my
second I took two, third I took three,
fourth I took four! My Dad said: “I’ll
give you £10 if you take five wickets in a
game for Wales”!
LS: That was all over Facebook!
BD: Yes! When I got my first wicket, I
looked over at Dad and he held up a £10
note! I felt good. I knocked out a right
hander’s leg stump by bowling it round
his legs. I could see he was stepping
across too far. It spun a lot.
LS: Big question is whether Dad gave you
the tenner? He’s notoriously tight!
BD: Yes! He also offered me £50 if I
took 50 wickets in the summer!
LS: He’ll learn not to do that, you’ll cost
him a fortune! You played for the first team
as well. Did you take a wicket on one leg?
BD: No!
LS: I did when my calf muscle went! I
finished an over coming in off one pace and
fortunately the batsman hit it straight up in
the air! You played for the first team too,
which is quite an achievement at the age of
12. Go on, talk me through that!
BD: It was pretty special. I bowled eight
overs and took four wickets. It felt like a
real achievement, not just to play but to
do well - I led the team off the pitch at
the end [an honour given by teams to the
best performer].
LS: What was the difference between
bowling at first team batsmen and other
types of cricket? You’ll have to remind me,
26
it’s a heck of a long time since I played first
team cricket!
BD: I reminded myself that I’m playing
for Wales, so I had to convince myself I
was good enough to be there. A good
batsman is always a good batsman at any
level. You’ve just got to try to work them
out.
LS: How do you do that? I was always
told to watch a player’s feet.
BD: I always bowl my stock delivery
first and I see how they play that. One
lad in a county match came in at number
5 and loved to angle his bat. I kept on
trying to spin the ball, but it wasn’t
working. I bowled a quicker one that
skidded on and because of the angle, it
squirted off his edge and was caught. So
when I’ve played against first team
batsmen, it’s the same. You have to work
them out.
LS: As I’ve coached the Under 9’s, you can
see that they all play the same way, the way
I teach them because they haven’t played
enough cricket to develop their own style
yet. You get a lot of coaching input, but do
you find that you have to work out your
own game for yourself?
BD: I have one to one with Lee Herring
[Cricket Wales coach] whose son is the
Gloucestershire wicketkeeper. He has
changed my batting and that has helped.
It worked, but I’ve gone back to how I
felt more comfortable, and that has been
even better!
LS: So there are times when you’ve ignored
your coaches? As a coach I would say there
comes a time when you have to do that. The
coach isn’t out there in the middle with you,
you’ve got to make those decisions. In the
said “Right, let’s get working on that”. I
went back and they were pleased with
my improvement.
last home game of the season I had to totally
change my batting stance to combat a lad
who was bowling unbelievably wide. You
played in that game.
LS: I’ve got a theory about footwork –
BD: I didn’t!
LS: You did!
cricketers keep doing well on Strictly
because we’re a bit lighter on our feet!
I was fielding on the
boundary for you!
BD: Oh yes!
Both [together]: Cow corner!
LS: So what about next year, when does
cricket start for you?
BD: The first training session for Wales
comes up soon, Gwent training starts
after Christmas.
LS: And Cricket at MCS will start again
after Christmas too.
BD: Of course.
LS: You’ll be going up an age group next
year, what’s the competition like?
BD: Hard. But I’m confident I’ve
bowled well enough to keep my place. I
know I have to work on things like
footwork. My coaches are always telling
me where I need to improve. I came
away from Wales’ sessions last season
and told my Dad what they said and he
BD: We’re always on the move!
LS: If someone from school wanted to
follow in your footsteps, what advice would
you give them? Where should they start?
Did you have a choice, given who your Dad
is? My son didn’t have a choice!
BD: My Dad was very keen to get me
into cricket and I loved it. I remember
getting my first helmet, gloves and bat
and being really excited. Fearnley gloves
and a Slazenger bat! It can be difficult if
you don’t have the kit.
LS: Both the club and the school provide kit.
BD: Yes. Just playing gives a buzz. I
loved just being involved. I wanted to be
a wicketkeeper but I’m a bowler now. If
you’re playing at a high level, they want
you to work at all parts of the game,
you’ve just got to play and work hard at it.
LS: True, even at my age, you keep
improving. I hit a fifty late on in the season
and it was my best inning for donkey’s
years. But I played in a really strong side
in the Midlands for a long time and didn’t
get much batting opportunity because I was
seen mainly as a bowler.
BD: It helps to play in a good side.
We’re strong at Monmouth, we’ve had
players like Frazer Kilgour [New
Zealand professional].
you look up to?
BD: Josh [Grey, Monmouth CC vice
captain and former MCS student].
There are always fireworks when he bats.
LS: And of course all the coaches….
including your Dad!
BD: We’ve got some amazing coaches at
Monmouth. We’re doing well as a Junior
Club now.
LS: The Under 11’s were runners up in
their league and your team [Under 9’s] did
well.
BD: Welsh cricket seems strong. We’d
never beaten many County sides before
but we won a lot of games this summer,
beat a lot of strong Counties.
LS: I’m going to move this conversation on
before you mention beating Yorkshire!
BD laughs.
LS: Your Dad put it on Facebook and I
couldn’t bring myself to press ‘like’! What’s
the aim for next season?
BD: Promotion for Monmouth and
keep improving.
LS: Which of the players you play with do
Three Peaks Challenge
We have always been interested in
mountain climbing, but never did we
think that we would have conquered the
Three Peaks Challenge in less than 24
hours when we were just 13 years old.
For this we had to walk up Ben Nevis in
Scotland, Scafell Pike in England and
Snowdon in Wales (the highest peak in
each country) all in 24 hours or less.
Despite the appalling conditions we all
completed the challenge within the
demanding time limit.
responsible for driving us between the
three mountains, making hot chocolate
and porridge when we finished each one.
In August 2014 we teamed up with
Emily and Luke Richards as well as three
parents, as the fourth parent was
Everyone found it tough as it rained
hard for at least 90 percent of the time.
There were strong winds at times and
snow and ice at the top of Ben Nevis. We
had to change clothes after each
mountain as we were soaked to the skin
even with full waterproofs. With our hot
chocolate and porridge to keep us going,
we pulled through the moments of
disbelief and lack of confidence, pushing
ourselves to the top of those wonderful
peaks. Unfortunately we could not
appreciate the views due to it being dark
or raining too much to see far!
We finished within 23 hours with Emily
and Luke and the adults completed it
within 24 hours.
Katie Kearsey & Sophie Richards
27
Engineering Projects
The computer will know if
you sit in the wrong seat!
How do you move 700kg
in a confined space?
For the fourth consecutive year, Engineers from General
Dynamics UK have set our Sixth Formers problems to solve as
part of the Engineering Education Scheme Wales (EESW).
GD has just won a huge contract to supply the army with
vehicles and gave us challenges related to this, though we
could quickly think of civilian applications for our solutions.
Meanwhile the other group chose a mechanical challenge.
GD have to install a huge amount of electronics into the new
vehicle, but it is a very cramped space for engineers to work
in. They would prefer to assemble and test all the gear
outside in the comfort of the workshop and then install a
single complete rack. However, it weighs 700kg and needs
moving and lifting inside the vehicle once posted through
the small door.
Problem One was to create a system that could automatically
sense who was sitting in each seat of the vehicle and check
if they were authorised. We could see this as also useful in
large conferences, industrial control rooms, aircraft, or even
hospital waiting rooms. After clarifying the brief with
engineers on a visit to GD in October, the group set to with
their research and development. Sam Winder dismantled
some old electronic bathroom scales to see if they could be
modified to detect a person on seat; Rory Bennett researched
radio tags similar to those used on items in shops; Lewis Bell
ordered an Arduino microprocessor and started programming;
Oliver Hedges started writing code for the database and
display on the base computer; Tim Ford worked on a radio
detector. Two days in the Engineering Department at Cardiff
University in December saw the device progress from a
tangle of wires on a breadboard to a final package, with
some tricky soldering required. Georgia Howe started
drafting the 25 page professional report that would explain
all the decisions the group had made. By February the
computer could definitely tell that you were sat on the demo
“hotseat” and would identify you as “authorised”, “known
but unauthorised” or as “a dangerous unknown intruder”.
28
For lifting, the team considered hydraulic rams, pneumatic
balloons, screw threads and scissor jacks. Chris Moran
investigated a wide variety of ingenious methods for moving
the device around. Megan Kinniment-Williams, Lara Gordon
and Annika Prince used their Further Maths A Level skills to
analyse forces, angles, stresses and stability. Megan
produced a sophisticated animated 3D computer simulation
of their chosen design. Bryn Bloodworth spent hours refining
a complex powered Lego prototype. The team then wanted
a more solid working model, so at Cardiff University they
headed for the Mechanical Engineering workshop. Aggie
Morgan was soon foraging for suitable nuts and bolts.
Whilst the university technicians machined parts to order, a
camera crew turned up wanting to film and interview young
engineers for the Welsh Government!
Both groups had to hone their presentations, first for senior
engineers on a second visit to GD and then for the judges at
the National Awards Ceremony at the Celtic Manor in March.
Their stands were busy all day and both groups were
nominated for awards. As ever, thanks to GD UK, these projects
have given Sixth Form Physics students an insiders’ insight
into real life professional engineering and demanded a
committed team effort over several months. They have had to
explain their work on paper and display at a large public event.
The UK Big Bang Science
and Technology Fair
One of the EESW teams from last year was asked to present
at the National Exhibition Centre in March. General Dynamics
generously agreed to sponsor the accommodation, travel to
Birmingham and pay for parts to improve the device.
The group had developed a device that would automatically
display relevant messages to soldiers, yacht crew in a race or
stewards at a large festival, as soon as they entered a specific
area. Miles Isted s’Jacob successfully integrated a GPS
receiver, radios, microprocessors and display panel whilst
Kenzo Fagan taught himself how to program the base
computer that matched message to position. He was still
writing code, and Amelia Ralphs was still hacksawing metal
in the hotel room the night before the event, but it was
finally all assembled and packaged, declared working, and
worn with pride by Captain Rupert (or was it Pippa?).
This was Mr Green’s full size mannequin, more used to
Roman armour than state-of-the-art electronics, but she/he
attracted a lot of attention to our stand.
All the team, including Charlie Burge and Taran Goodband
had to deal with primary age children, computer experts
from Google scouting for prizewinning ideas, and real life
soldiers keen to give us their opinion of devices they were
issued with. The Celtic Manor had been a big event, but this
was huge!
29
Charity Matters
The Charity Committee hit the ground running
this year. Only a few weeks back in school and
Harvest was upon us. Our competition this year
for Forms was for the best decorated box of food.
This was won by 13PB, with their fantastic
scarecrow designed box! The whole of the
school responded fantastically to our requests of
non-perishable foods, and Monmouth Food Bank,
who we donated this year’s collections to, were
‘so impressed and thankful for the donations’.
At the end of September, we held our own Macmillan Coffee
Morning in the Meetings Room, where we had homemade
cakes, biscuits, tea and coffee, that didn’t last long! A fantastic
£184.50 was raised to support Macmillan which aims to ensure
that no one faces cancer alone.
Our Monday breaktime meetings for the next couple of weeks,
were spent planning the first big event of the term on 17th
October. As a Committee, we decide upon which charities we
would like to support, and Clic Sargent was close to many of our
Committees’ hearts. It is the UK’s leading cancer charity for
children and young people, and also their families. They provide
clinical, practical, financial and emotional support, to help them
cope with cancer
and get the most
out of life. For this
event, we chose a
‘bright
colours’
themed non-school
uniform day. We
also held our ever
popular bake sale,
in the hall at break
time for students
and staff to enjoy. We raised a total of £1,145.66 for Clic
Sargent, which we were very proud of.
November was upon us, which only meant one thing - Children
in Need! The national theme this year was ‘Superheroes’ which
we made as our non-uniform theme. Students and staff got
30
involved with the day. We
decided that we would host
our
own
‘Monmouth
Comprehensive School Staff
Bake Off’, to get all the
teachers involved. Our ‘Bake
Off Champion’ judged by
the panel at break time on
the
stage,
including
Michael, our Head Boy, and
catering students. They came to the decision to crown
Miss Mortimer-Davies as the champion for her literature
inspired cake! Students were invited to take part in the ‘Design
your own Super
Hero Form Tutor’
competition, and
then
sponsored
their Form Tutors to
dress up as that
superhero. The day
was
a
huge
success, raising a
total of £1,180.47.
With the Christmas
season
dawning
upon us, students
and staff got busy making up their ‘Operation Christmas
Child’ boxes. We managed to be ‘the biggest contributor’
from Monmouth area this year, with 127 boxes going off to
disadvantaged children, who
would have otherwise received
nothing for Christmas.
Our Christmas Charity this year
was Home Start, a charity which
has a base in Monmouth. Home
Start is a national charity that
helps parents to build better lives
for their children. The school chose
the theme for the non-uniform
this time, which was the popular
Disney film ‘Frozen’! The Charity
Committee held a bake sale, which included fantastic snowmen
and reindeer cakes. We raised an amazing total of £1,169.22.
heading
The New Year started off with the
Valentine’s Day delivery service in
February. This has been a tradition
for several years, delivering heart
shaped chocolates, marshmallows,
and roses to students and staff
members. The delivery service was a
huge success, raising over £150 for
Save the Children and their Ebola
campaign.
After Valentine’s Day, the next big
event was Comic Relief in March. Planning this event was a big
task and we knew that in order to make the day successful and
raise lots of money, the day would have to go smoothly. We
started planning the day weeks before the actual event,
planning everything from live entertainment, to a ‘red’ nonschool
uniform
theme, to the bake
sale. On the day of
the event, it was
great to see everyone
enjoying the live acts
on the stage and
with the bake sale
selling out in under
half an hour, we
knew that all our hard work had paid off. After counting all the
money we had raised on the day, it was incredible to realise our
total of over £1,300! This showed just how much our hard work
had paid off, raising the most amount of money for a charity
throughout the academic year. Comic Relief was our last big
event and it was certainty the highlight of the year.
In May, came our last non-uniform event, raising money for the
Velindre Cancer Centre which supports patients and their
families dealing with cancer, funds ground-breaking research,
supplies specialist equipment and the most up-to-date training
for staff. As this was our last event it was great to see everyone
enjoy the day. This charity was chosen after the Head Teacher of
Ystrad Mynach Primary School contacted the school asking us to
participate in a fundraising target reaching across primary and
secondary schools in Wales. Their aim is to raise £100,000 – we
were the first secondary school to respond and were happy to
join this community spirited mission!
In total close to £5,000 was raised this year for various charities,
and we believe this reflects the effort every single member of the
Charity Committee has put in, alongside the efforts of all
students, staff and parents who get onboard and always give
generously. We wish all the very best success for the Charity
Committee in the future, and look forward to hearing all about
the wonderful events that happen next year.
Dorothy Laidler, Lizzie Price
and Alex Davies
Joint Charity Committee Heads
31
Ciaran Mann and the Army Cadets
My name is Ciaran Mann from 10RP. This is my story about the
army cadets and my visit to Belgium to witness the 100th
Anniversary of the start of WW1 - I hope you enjoy reading it.
I joined the cadets in Monmouth in
January 2012, when I was 12 years
old. The cadets is a really good place
to learn new things and, in the last 2½
years, I have learnt first aid, fieldcraft,
how to fire a range of different rifles
like the I98 general purpose cadet rifle
and outdoor navigation. I have been
on a lot of weekend camps and two
week summer adventure camps where
we do canoeing, cycling, rock climbing
and go out on tracks where we dirtbike. We also do proper army cadet
exercises like outdoor expeditions
where we camp out and do long
distance walking and practice on the
firing range.
Last year, in 2014, I was chosen from
my detachment to represent them
during a visit to Belgium to take part in
the 100 year commemoration.
Whilst we were there, we paraded in
many different places but the main
area was under the Menin Gate, where
we paraded with all the veterans and
32
the regular soldiers. It was really
inspiring to see how many people
were there.
We also visited the German cemetery
where every grave was a mass grave,
to save space. I found this quite sad
but, at the same time, I understood
why the Belgium people needed their
land to farm after the war. We visited
the Allied graveyard and it was a lot
different because there were no mass
graves. There were some marked with
Victoria Crosses and we were told their
stories and how they got their medals.
A number of graves had other
religious symbols such as the Star of
David.
This trip was a really proud moment in
my life because I was able to represent
my detachment. I learnt a lot which
made me more confident in my
knowledge of the history of that time
– I would like to repeat this visit in the
future.
Student Art
Cameron Bradbury
Chloe Rushe
Bethany Trotter
Charlotte Fisher
Jack Thomas
Hannah Pope
Johaze Basarte
Charley Bicknell
Millie Sutton
Harriet Woods
Kirsty McIntosh
Jeena Sriphan
Kirsty McIntosh
Maizie Morgan
33
Out of School Achievements
Parents have been in touch to tell us about the many and varied activities our students are involved in and I think we
can safely say that you couldn’t find a group of prouder parents, and rightly so.
Miles Everett (7MD) came 3rd in his first
race - the Novice Class in the WYA Welsh
Zone Championships at Milford Haven.
Finlay Waters (8TR) joined Monmouth
Rowing Club in April 2014 and proved
that, even after only six months, success
is possible. Fin, a Junior 13 sculler,
competed at Monmouth Head in
September and managed to achieve
second place at Junior 15 single sculls. In
November, he travelled to Stourport on
Severn and entered a 2½ mile Junior 14
single scull race and won, overcoming
strong opposition from three local
competitors. Finlay loves the freedom of
being on the water and puts his success
down to eating far too many yoghurts!
Sixth Form student Molly Brickley-Clark
sang with the National Youth Choir of
Wales in June at St David's Hall,
performing Brahm's Requiem with the
BBC National Orchestra of Wales and
BBC National Chorus of Wales. The
performance was broadcast live on BBC
Radio 3. Their next event was a
workshop in Llandrindod Wells followed
by a summer residential course and
concert in North Wales. The Choir then
performed at the BBC PROMS in July and
August.
Anna Ward 9LG completed the Two
Moors Way with her Dad in July (in the
really hot weather). After boarding the
train at Bristol they arrived at Ivybridge
near Plymouth and walked across
Dartmoor and Exmoor to arrive at
Lynmouth on the coast. They walked
104 miles in four and a half days. They
rough camped most of the
way which meant that Anna
had to carry her share of the
camping gear and rations in
her rucksack!
34
Anna signed the official book at the
Visitor Centre in Lynmouth, and was told
she was one of the youngest to
complete the walk.
Laura Pritchard (10BG) cycled from her
home in Llanishen to Chateauponsac in
France (a total of 515 miles) during the
summer holidays. This involved many
hours of training, accompanied by her
Dad, and her endeavours raised over
£530 for Bridge2aid (a dental healthcare
charity). They started their training in
April, slowly building up their daily
mileage and adding weights towards the
end of their training to simulate the
luggage they would need to carry.
School finished on Friday and Saturday
morning saw them on their way on the
three day journey to Poole where they
crossed to Cherbourg. It took them nine
days to work their way to the South of
France, enjoying the spectacular scenery
and meeting many interesting and very
friendly people along the way.
One particularly memorable day was
spent cycling alongside the River Loire,
enjoying the scenery and flying along at
18-20 mph. Their final mileage was an
incredibly 604 miles, door-to-door.
Y10 student Harry Dorey-Jones cycled an
amazing 600 miles in France and
Belgium with his Granddad in aid of the
Royal Marines Association raising
£2,025. Harry’s Granddad travelled up
from Devon especially for the Success
Assembly at the beginning of the
school year and enthralled Y10 with his
accounts
of
the
bravery
and
determination of war heroes. The Royal
Marines also gave Harry the bicycle
which was loaned to him for the fund
raising event.
Tyler Rymer (7FD) took up falconry over
the summer holidays - a very exciting
activity.
Charlie Breton (9MI) auditioned for a role
in a film, ‘Sing Street’, as the lead character
who starts a band. For the audition
Charlie not only had to memorise lines
but choose and perform a song.
Elizabeth Walker (8JW) won first prize in
Kington Agricultural Show in September
2014 for her brownies. She also got
third prize for her Pizza.
Ollie & Eddie Trumper’s ewes won Female
Champion in the Yearling Ewe Class and
Overall Champion at Chepstow Agricultural
Show and Monmouth Show. Ollie was
also crowned Champion Young Handler
at Monmouth. They followed this up by
winning Overall Breed Champion at Usk
in September. The boys work with the
ewes, halter training them in the months
leading up to the Shows then, trimmed
and washed, the ewes are ready for their
big moment. Both boys are in 10LM.
Holly Jones (11BT) represented her
Young Farmers Club Raglan, in the
Gwent Field Day which is one of the
many events Young Farmers hold. She
won the Under 16s Floristry competition
and, by winning this, she had the
opportunity to go to Hillary’s florist in
Abergavenny for an evening class which
helped her to prepare for Malvern. By
winning the Field Day, Holly went on to
represent Gwent at Malvern Autumn
Flower Show where she came 16th out
of 32. Holly also competed at Llangattock
Ploughing Match where she entered
both the U16s Floral Competition and
the Adults. Holly came first in the U16s
competition, with her arrangement in a
football boot.
Holly’s Work Experience took her to
Posies in Monmouth which she
thoroughly enjoyed. “I learnt everything
from button holes to hand ties,
bouquets to arrangements and now
provide the flowers for MCS Reception”
said Holly.
The Red Rug Jazz Band - Dafydd John
(electric guitar), Dylan Sluiter (drums),
Tom Morley (piano), Rory Gordon
(trumpet) and Joe Archer (double bass) –
performed at Abergavenny Jazz Festival
at the end of August.
In October, the Y11 boys were invited by
Mike Skelton, the Jazz Festival organiser, to
watch the Nigel Price Quartet. He wants
to promote the band to play at his jazz
events in Abergavenny by supporting more
well-known bands then, hopefully,
having their own jazz night.
Tom, Dylan and Rory also took part in a
workshop at Ronnie Scott’s Club,
following up as a support band in the
evening.
The Red Rug Trio - Tom, Dylan and Joe
Archer from Gwynllyw Comprehensive
School - play monthly at Llansantffraed
Court Hotel.
Tom also had an audition at the Royal
Welsh College of Music and Drama and
has been awarded a place on the Jazz
Pathway in the Advanced Conservatoire.
In March, Tom performed at NACE in
St. David’s Hotel as a member of Royal
Welsh College of Music Junior
Conservatoire.
Our Art students got First and Third prize
in the Public Vote at the Penallt Art
“Peg it Up” exhibition in October.
Poppy Sproul (Y12) came First and
Harry Sully (Y10) came Third.
Kirsty Holford and Jess Worthing, have
been successful in achieving their Silver
British Gymnastics Award through
Monmouth Gymnastics Club.
Ben Mills (9BA) continued his success
wih the Air Cadets (Abergavenny 2478
Squadron) by representing Abergavenny
2478 in the Welsh Wing Northern
Section Swimming gala and came first in
the 50m backstroke. Based on this result,
he was then selected to represent the
No1 Welsh section at the Regional ATC
gala at RAF Cosford. Ben swam against
15 year olds and came fifth in his
individual backstroke event and was part
of the winning team in the individual
relay. During the ATC Summer Camp he
achieved the ‘Most improved Cadet’
and, on 30th November, Ben qualified as
a 1st Class Cadet after completing
assignments and tests.
Emma Lockyer and Ben Hopkins (both in
Y8) was selected to compete in the
World Individual Mounted Games.
Ben and Emma have also been selected
to represent Wales U15s at the Royal
Windsor Horseshow at Windsor Castle in
May, in front of the Queen. This event is
a World Championship event.
Following this competition, Ben and
Emma will travel even further afield to
Florida to compete in the U17s World
Team Championships. (See page 24 for
article from Ben).
Alice Sullivan (8CK) is a scout with 1st
Clearwell and Sling Scouts. In November
she gained the Scouting Poppy Award
badge for work that she did for
Remembrance Day. As well as completing
a number of set tasks such as researching
a family member who was in the First
World War, she baked scores of cupcakes
and decorated them with an iced poppy.
She then sold these cakes around her
village and raised £128.99 for Coleford
and District Royal British Legion. She
made more cakes with a friend and sold
these in Coleford town raising a further
£87. The Chairman of the Legion has
written to Alice telling her that her
money will go towards the welfare of
The Armed Forces Community, particularly
the families of those whose loved ones
died in the defence of our country. In his
thanks to her, the Chairman invited Alice
to a presentation ceremony in April 2015
where the Branch would like to honour
her achievement.
Alice is a keen archer and is a member of
The Bowmen of the Dean. On November
30th Alice took part in her first
archery competition, the Junior County
Indoor Championships. Alice shoots a
recurve bow and showed true
enthusiasm for the competition even
though she was a bit nervous.
Matthew Ford (9NJ) swims with Monnow
Swimming Club and has entered two
Open competitions.
The Greater Gwent Fast Water
Competition was held on 26th October
at the Newport International Pool and
saw Matthew competing in five races:
50m Backstroke, 50m Butterfly, 50m
Breaststroke, 50m Freestyle and 200m IM
(Individual Medley) where he achieved
the following results: 50m Freestyle gold; 50m Backstroke - gold; 200 IM gold; 50m Breaststroke - silver; 50m
Butterfly - gold.
November saw Matthew competing in
the South East Wales Sub-Regional
Competition, again at the Newport
International Pool. He swam in two
races, the 100m Freestyle achieving a
Bronze place and the 200m IM placing
6th overall for his age group.
Liam Keating has helped raise over
£12,000 for the new skatepark in
Monmouth. He has been a member of
MOSP for three years and in those three
years he has helped raise money by
helping PCSO Joe Facchiano serve up an
Italian meal and helped with plant sales.
He collected sponsor money for his mum
to do the second longest zipwire in
Britain, made cupcakes and sold raffle
tickets at fundraising coffee mornings
and a concert. The new skatepark was
officially opened in May 2015.
One evening, in November, Y8 student
Georgia Mulvaney’s mum suffered
something called a Spontaneous Coronary
Artery Dissection. This is a tear in the
lining of a coronary artery, which causes
a clot to form and a heart attack follows.
It is fairly rare, affects more women in
the age group 35-55 and can be fatal.
Georgia called out to wish her mum
goodnight and immediately noted from
her response that she was unwell. Dad
called an ambulance and whilst they
waited for the paramedic teams to arrive
she kept mum calm, talking to her,
helping to let the paramedics into the
house, fetching things and relaying
35
messages. Mum and dad were very
impressed by Georgia’s mature attitude
to the scene and her presence was
incredibly helpful to her mum. When
mum returned home from hospital she
helped to look after her and has tried
very hard to keep her stress levels low.
Mum advises “We have discussed what
happened and what she would do if it
were to reoccur and we were alone. I
feel confident that she will take the right
action and will know what to do. It must
have been scary for her to watch it
happening but she never faltered.”
Mrs Mulvaney added “Next year, when I
am a little further out from SCAD, I'd like
to contemplate organising a fundraising
event and I know Georgia will be a great
help and an ambassador for the Charity.”
Tae Kwon Do Academy - Jack Zsigo has
reached his blue belt (4th Kup).
Fencing - Welsh Youth Foil Iwan Hazlewood & Joe Smith (11PT) won
the U16 Boys Bronze Medals.
Alex Smith (7MA) took the U12 Boys
Bronze Medal.
Kellen Jenkins (9BA) achieved his senior
1st Dan Black Belt on 6th December
2014. The grading took place in
Whitecross Sports Centre in Hereford.
Unfortunately Kellen sprained his ankle a
few weeks later which put him out of
competing for a little while.
In February, several students from MCS
were involved in a production of
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat, as part of Monmouth Music
Theatre Youth. It was the Youth Group’s
first show since setting up, following
student involvement in the adult society
production of 'Oliver' last year. Harry Sully
played Joseph, Jay Hardy was the
narrator, Jacob King and Josh Morgan
played Pharaoh, Lydia Harding played
Mrs Potiphar and Josh Ellis played Jacob.
Also in the cast were Anna Crossley,
Katie Mapp, Phoebe Sadler and Ted
Rawlins. In addition to performing, they
also contributed hugely to the
production, scenery and programmes.
36
Supporting behind the scenes were
Michael Ellis and Jess Netherway.
Dan Jones (7AH) is a keen sports person
and is involved in a variety of different
sports. He came joint first in his age
group in his annual Swim Club
Championships in November 2014
where he competed in front crawl, back
stroke, breast stroke (all 100m), butterfly
(50m) and the 100m IM (Individual
Medley).
Dan has been attending the after school
swim club on Thursdays and joined in a
swimming gala with MCS Y8s at HMSG
shortly after joining the school. He has
also recently started Sport4life at
Monmouth Leisure Centre and plays in
the school football team as well as his
local club.
Tom Berry (8HA) received his certificate
for advancing to 1st Class Cadet in the
Air Cadets with Usk Squadron.
James Hopgood and Joe Curtis (8TR) were
successful in passing their 2nd Star TaeKwon-Do Black Belt grading exam,
involving techniques, patterns, sparing
and Korean language and history. The
exam took place in Cardiff in October
and means that they are now half way
through the four year syllabus to
achieving their 2nd Dan Black Belts.
Y8 students Cameron Ogilvie and Josh
Lewis have both been selected, from
around 100 boys, to play in the U13
Herefordshire County Rugby Team. They
both travel to Bromyard RFC every
Monday evening to train and have
already beaten the Black Country U13s
49 - 0. Cameron’s position is flanker and
Josh plays scrum half.
Ellen Coombe won her round at the
Abergavenny Eisteddfod, in the 11-15
years category.
Philippa Parry (Y12), India Marshall (Y10)
and Anna Thomas (Y9) have been
selected to represent Wales at the World
Scout Jamboree in Japan later this year.
Philippa will be providing us with an
update in next year’s Leader magazine,
detailing their time in
Japan.
Y11 student Erin Bryce gained selection
for the Welsh Youth Swimming Squad
(2015/2016 season). She also won two
‘Welsh Champion’ places at the Welsh
Short Course Championships (held in
Swansea just before Christmas) - the 15
& 16 year old, Backstroke 100m and
200m categories.
Strangely it was her 3rd place in the 50m
Backstroke at this event which was
special - the 1st and 2nd places went to
16 year olds, but her swim as a 15 year
old put her in 2nd spot in the all time
Welsh Rankings for 15 years old girls.
Ischia Day (7MD) had four works in an
exhibition of art in Chepstow Museum.
This follows on from the exhibition ‘Sites
of Inspiration’, which featured original
works by William Turner and Samuel
Palmer, based around Tintern Abbey and
the Wye Valley. She had two sketches of
the Abbey on show, plus a pencil
drawing of an owl over the Abbey and a
print of a window arch. Ischia is a very
keen and talented young artist.
Y11
students
Daniel Whistance,
James Mear and Euan Gillespie have
spent the last year training with, and
playing for, the Dragons Under 16's team
and attended a tour to Poland.
Sam Bevan and Dan Whistance have
started training for this year’s Tug of War
with Herefordshire Young Farmers,
pulling for the club of Pontrilas. Last
year they were winners at the rally and at
The Three Counties Show and runners
up at national level.
Harry Lloyd (12HW) achieved a Highly
Commended in the prestigious Nicholas
Bacon International Relations Essay
competition.
Y8 student Josie Harrison entered The
Glass Prize 2015 in the school category
with an amazing glass sword called 'The
Sword of Agincourt' and won, receiving
over 200 more votes than her nearest
rival. Josie has won a glass kiln for the
Art Department, who are delighted!
Sixth Form students Herman Bal,
Alice
Gable,
Frances
Dowle,
Megan
Kinniment-Williams
and
Reuben Pierrepoint were all accepted
onto the UNIQ Summer School
Programme run by Oxford University.
Sixth Form student Amelia Ralphs has
been volunteering for the Tall Ship
Youths Trust for the last four years,
working with disadvantaged young
people from a variety of backgrounds
and teaching them life skills through the
conjugate of sail training, on their 72’
round the world racing yachts.
Following this work, Amelia was invited
to sail on these yachts for the Rolex
Fastnet Race and Campaign as a Watch
Leader of an all-female crew – a huge
privilege for Amelia who will be the
youngest crew member. Amelia will be
teaching 12 novices how to sail and race
the boats throughout the campaign
and training weekend. Amelia’s future
career goal is to work in sail training.
Ollie Chilcott (8VE) has continued to play
violin with Greater Gwent Orchestras. He
has been selected to represent Worcester
Youths at waterpolo in the Midlands
League.
Bethan Morgan (12AC) has been selected
from hundreds of applicants for a
prestigious five day work experience
placement at the Royal Meteorological
Office Headquarters in Exeter.
Y10 students Max Roberts, Jack Wear and
Bret Thomas were selected to play Rugby
League for SE Wales, claiming a 28-0
victory at Cardiff Arms Park in May.
James Whittaker (12TY) successfully
completed the Wye Valley Warrior
Cycling Sportif – a 79 mile event that
took place in May. James is looking
forward to taking part in his second
Sportif in Cardiff in June.
James Phillips (11BF) was reappointed as
the Mayor’s Cadet in May 2015.
Jack Whittaker (13CC) played the part of
Sonny in X-entricity’s May performance
of the musical Grease, in Ross-on-Wye.
In October they will take the musical to
The Courtyard Theatre, Hereford.
It has also been great to receive some
updates from former students at MCS.
Ollie Alexander (Thornton when at
school) has not only achieved success as
an actor, starring in, amongst other
things, The Riot Club and Sky Atlantic’s
Penny Dreadful but has also, with his
band Years and Years, scored a number
one hit with their track ‘King’. The band
also topped BBC’s Sound of 2015 list –
all this before they have released their
first album.
The group have already had a very
successful year, playing coveted support
slots with Clean Bandit and Sound Of
2014 winner Sam Smith, as well as
performing at a number of UK festivals
including The Great Escape, Bestival and
Latitude.
Heather Robertson left Monmouth Sixth
Form in the Summer of 2014, to go to
Holme Lacy College to study Agriculture
but got in touch to tell us about her
Suffolk Punch Heavy Horse, Yasmin.
“You may know that the Suffolk Punch is
a rare British breed of Heavy Horse, with
only 500 left in Britain today. I consider
myself to be very lucky to own such a
beautiful breed of Heavy Horse. This year
my Suffolk Punch, Yasmin, and I have
travelled all three regions of Wales. Our
first show was in Abergavenny, where I
was placed first in Young Handlers and
third for Best Other Heavy Horse.
Our second show was in West Wales. We
were placed third for Young Handler and
first for Best Other Heavy Horse or Shire
Over 15 Years Old. This came as a
surprise as Yasmin managed to stand up
to a very well-bred Shire Horse (the
Suffolk Punch is a lot shorter and
stronger than the Shire, and, most of the
time, a Suffolk Punch would be placed
last in a class of Shires or Shire Cross
horses, especially in Wales).
Our third and final show of the season
was in North Wales, a non-competitive
show, full of Heavy Horse breeds. Yasmin
was the only Suffolk Punch at the show
and she managed to win the hearts of
many people, a firm validation of the
Suffolk Punch personality. This goes to
show
that, no matter what you come up
against in life, there is always a chance
that you will come up on top. If you
don't get placed there is always another
chance around the corner. You just have
to have a little luck, and the right
moment to have your chance to shine.”
Jessica Stephens, winner of the Susan
White Award for Young Cook of the Year
2014, gained a catering apprenticeship
at Kate Humble’s Humble by Nature in
Penallt.
Emma Hatton (Boyle when at school), has
had great success, landing a leading role
in the West End as Elphaba in the
musical ‘Wicked’.
Zak Williams headed to France after
securing a professional Rugby League
contract playing for La Reole.
Zak visited the school with his shirts
from
representing
Wales
U19
Commonwealth, winning bronze, Great
Britain Students XIII, and Wales U18
where Zak was vice-captain.
Oriane Pierrepoint has been awarded the
prestigious title of NADFAS RBA Scholar,
after having two pieces of work selected
for the Royal Society of British Artists’
(RBA) annual Exhibition. Oriane’s work
was on show throughout February at the
RBA’s Rising Stars exhibition at Lloyds
Registry Gallery in London.
Each
year,
the
Monmouthshire
Decorative and Fine Arts Society
(MDFAS) selects the highest level work
from local A-Level students to be
submitted for this competition entry.
Oriane was one of 19 students selected
and the only from Wales to have their
work displayed alongside professional
artists. Her work portrays a window into
the effects of living with Alzheimer’s
disease. Oriane is now studying art at
university.
Sarah Brice has successfully auditioned
for the National Youth Theatre of Great
Britain, joining the likes of Orlando
Bloom, Helen Mirren and Daniel Craig as
a member of one of the most prestigious
Youth Theatre organisations in the
country.
37
Mock Election at MCS
On the same day as the General Election on 7th May,
students at MCS took part in a school mock Election.
Planning for the election began back
in January, when students from Y7 to
13 volunteered to take part in this
democratic process. Some wanted to
campaign on behalf of existing
parties, but others argued that the
Westminster parties did not represent
their views, so they decided to set up
their own. By polling day, a total of
eight parties competed for the votes of
the school: Labour, Conservative, Lib
Dem, Green, UKIP, Purple, the Socialist
Workers Alliance and the United
Justice Party.
The first stage of the process for us
in the school Labour Party was to meet
up to establish our manifesto, and
begin discussing what strategies to
use to win over the voters. Several of
us took part in a discussion with
former Monmouth MP Huw Edwards
when he visited the school to talk to us
about his political career. Mr Edwards
won election to the House of
Commons
on
three
separate
38
occasions, so had lots of wise
words to help us prepare our
campaigns.
When we returned from the Easter
holidays, we welcomed our local
candidates to come and speak to us.
Five out of the seven candidates
fighting to represent Monmouth in
Parliament found time in their busy
schedules to visit the school and take
part in our hustings. They spoke
about their policies before
answering our questions. It
was interesting to hear what
they had to say, and try to pick
through their “politicians’
responses”.
Before the hustings, those of
us who were involved in the
school mock election had
lunch with the candidates. It
was a fascinating experience,
giving us the chance to discuss and
share our opinions and beliefs with the
politicians who want to represent us
all in Westminster.
As the big day drew closer, election
fever began to build. The candidates
visited each Year Group to outline their
policies in special assemblies and we
began to cover the school with
campaign posters. The Labour Party
set up a stall in the Hall each Thursday
where we encouraged students to sign
our petition about the Education
Maintenance Allowance.
On General Election day, just as the
nation voted, so did we. Y7 to 11 cast
their ballots during the Integrated
Curriculum lesson using real ballot
boxes borrowed from the Council.
Sixth Formers voted in the school
polling station in the Hall. The school
prefects were our trusted election
officials for the day, guarding the
ballot boxes and carefully counting the
votes.
With the votes counted, when we
arrived at school on Friday 8th May, we
tuned into the ‘School News’ to
discover the result. The Election Result
Special broadcast was watched in
Form rooms across the school.
After a hard fought campaign, the
Purple Party emerged victorious. The
school was won over by their everpresent propaganda posters and nononsense, neo-liberal policies.
Mr Grant, who organised the school
mock election, explained: “It was great
to see that democracy is alive and well
at MCS. Our students ran brilliant
election campaigns, capturing the
imagination of the school community.
This year’s Green Party candidate for
Monmouth was a former student; I
expect to see more of our students
aiming for political careers in future.”
Charlie Cooke, 10BG
A Capital Workplace
After leaving Monmouth Comprehensive School in 2010, I opted to
study Economics and Government at De Montfort University in
Leicester, a four year course that included the opportunity to apply
for a paid internship in year three.
I was successful in securing a graduate
internship with Hewlett Packard, a global
I.T. company, working at their UK
headquarters in Bracknell.
Since
graduating in 2014 and, after applying
and going through the various stages of
graduate job application processes, I
secured a job in the Tech Procurement
team at Capital One (Europe) Plc in
Nottingham.
Leading up to my Internship, I did not
have a particular role in mind, so I
applied for a number
of different positions
that were available
at that time.
My
eventual role in
Procurement was
achieved somewhat
by chance, as my
original application
to Hewlett Packard
was to work in their HR Department.
Unfortunately, I received a phone call
informing me that I had been
unsuccessful in progressing to the next
stage of the HR internship but I was
asked if I would be interested in having
an interview for a Procurement
internship; the role that I was ultimately
successful in securing.
The interview process for internships
varies from company to company, some
(like my own) involved a number of
telephone interviews, with others being
by way of on line psychometric tests
leading onto telephone interview(s)
and then, if successful, to one or two
day assessment centres; taking part in
group work leading to presentations to
the panel and one to one interviews. This
proved to be a good grounding for the
process of applying for real life jobs, as
many of the techniques used are very
similar.
HP employed a number of graduates and
we all attended an “internship” day
organised by them, giving us an
opportunity to meet each other. The day
consisted of a series of talks about the
company, and we were also given a list
of various properties available to view at
that time so that we could organise our
accommodation. At the end of the day
I was in a shared house in Reading with
five other graduates, all from different
Universities and Departments within the
company.
My year on placement left me with
mixed feelings about life after university.
Throughout my study period I never
really knew what I wanted to do in terms
of a career. Working in Procurement for
a year gave me the opportunity to try
something new which
I found interesting.
The overall experience
was invaluable, as it
gave me an insight
into how large
organisations operate
both externally and
internally. It was
not, however, all
plain sailing, and I experienced several
high and low points throughout my time
there. Many of the tasks were very
mundane and left me feeling that office
life was not for me. Training was often
carried out sat in front of
a computer screen and
there was limited opportunity
to integrate with other
teams or Departments as
there was little focus or
attention paid to team
building days which give all
employees the opportunity
to meet, regardless of
position within the company.
My Internship experience
changed the way I went
about applying for jobs in
my final year of university.
I realised that my number
one priority wasn't whether or not the
job specification was the perfect one for
me or if it was the one with the largest
salary. I learnt that I valued more the
environment I would be working in and
the further professional training
opportunities available. This led me to
Capital One as it was voted one of the
best workplaces 2014 in the UK and
Europe and at that time they were
advertising for a Procurement graduate!
I am now nearing completion of my first
year working at Capital One, and it has
really been evident to see why they are
one of the best workplaces in the UK and
Europe. The work ethic and culture here
is amazing!! Since starting in July 2014
I have completed two professional
qualifications working towards being a
member of the Chartered Institute of
Procurement and Supply and, in the
short space of time I have been here, I
have taken part in a FIFA competition
(the winning employee won a PS4).
Capital One employees also raise money
for various charities which the company
matches. This year, in aid of Children in
Need, the company organised a Strictly
Come Dancing and Red or Black
competition. I have recently taken part in
a Swimathon to raise money for the
Marie Curie Foundation, team building
trips to Alton Towers, and I have also
been lucky enough to go to a few
Capital One Cup matches as well.
I don’t think there could
have been a better fit of
company for me to work
at than I have found
working for Capital One.
The job might not be
exciting every single day
or keep me at the edge of
my seat but the people
and the culture here at
Capital One never make
coming into work a chore
or anything to dread on a
Sunday evening. The
most important thing I
have learned in my very
brief working life is, if like
me and probably many others, you don’t
have any idea on what you want to do as
you leave school/university, finding a
company or environment where you
would be proud and happy to work,
regardless of the role, will make working
life all the more easier.
James Stitt
39
Sweet
Success
I
have
been
making cakes for
two years now and
originally started off just making
them for my close family’s
birthdays.
However, within the past year I have been
making cakes for not only my family but also
friends as well. My first fondant cake was for
my Auntie’s 40th Birthday.
I received some great feedback from the
restaurant and this gave me the confidence to
do more. I started making cakes for all the
family occasions, trying out various
techniques and designs. I have became very
passionate about baking and decorating cakes
and find it very rewarding.
I am mainly self-taught, using hints and tips
from the internet and guidance from a family
member who works in a cake shop in
Coleford.
After completing my work
experience at ‘Make a Cake’, and with the
support of my family, I decided to go into
business for myself.
I have completed my hygiene certificate and
registered with Forest of Dean Council and
launched my facebook page Hollieejo Cakes
on the 1st of April.
I have made cakes for various occasions
including baby showers, special birthdays and
have been approached to do a wedding cake,
which I am very excited and can’t wait to
complete this order.
Hollie Fuszard, 11SS
40
Learning with Friends
The MCS Friends Association provides a valuable link between home and school. Its work actively contributes
to the life of every student, not only by raising funds but also by harnessing members’ enthusiasm, skills and
experience for the good of all. It aims to support parents and encourage a sense of community.
Many parents have supported the
Friends during the year. A growing team
has helped to organise a range of
activities; many others have taken on
admin roles they can do from home and
helped out at events run during the year.
The FA’s annual Quiz and Curry Night is
held at the end of September,
welcoming new families to the school.
2014’s ‘Heroes and Villains’ quiz was a
great success and we are already
working on ideas for this year.
The FA has long aimed to establish
regular First Aid courses in the school,
for students and their families. Together
with Heartstart Monmouthshire, we are
running sessions every term. So far this
year over 40 people have received training
at MCS. This British Heart Foundation
initiative aims to teach Emergency Life
Support Skills to as many people as
possible. Courses are free and available
to anyone aged 10 years and over. One
parent has now trained to be an instructor
and we’d love to have more on board.
Nearly 100 parents have attended the
free weekend Parent Workshops run over
the last two years. These have aimed to
help parents communicate effectively
with their children, and to identify and
understand the varied approaches to
learning, so that they are better able to
support them. The workshops have been
very well received. This year we have
been able to offer free childcare to
support parents wishing to attend. We
thank staff from Puddleducks in Raglan
for their fantastic support. We have new
ideas for future workshops, and would
welcome your input – so watch this
space! The workshops are free, funded
by the monies raised by all who have
signed up to support Monmouth
Comprehensive Friends Association at
www.easyfundraising.org.uk.
This year the FA has made a donation to
the Monmouth Literary Festival, to
support the committee of students
organising the event.
The FA is due to hold its annual prize draw
in the summer term to raise valuable
funds for the school. We have also enjoyed
supporting the Charity Committee’s bake
sales throughout the year and providing
refreshments at both the school
production of Sweeney Todd and the
Summer Showcase. This summer, for the
second year, parents will further support
the school by helping the invigilators
during some of the busiest exams.
We are pleased to be able to offer
parents the opportunity to buy goodquality second-hand uniform. We welcome
all contributions of uniform, which can
be dropped off at the school Reception.
The Friends Association provides an
informal, friendly but very direct way for
parents and friends to support our
school. Meetings are held once every
half-term. Everyone is made welcome
and business never takes that long!
There are always refreshments – and
often home-made cakes! If you can’t
attend meetings, there are many other
ways to support the Friends – look out
for our Newsletters and emails, visit the
school’s
website,
or
chat
to
representatives at school events.
All parents, guardians, teaching staff,
non-teaching staff and governors are
automatically members of the Friends
Association. Please consider getting
involved, in whatever way you can. It
really will make a difference. We look
forward to welcoming you and your ideas.
41
Belgium History Trip
Taking the WW1 History trip to Belgium was a big step for me, as I know it was for a lot
of people. One’s first trip abroad (excluding England) without parents is rather daunting
for quiet country dwellers like ‘us Monmouth folk’. I know a lot of people were going for
the 220,000 tonnes of chocolate produced every year, and even one who was going in hope
of buying a hundred-year-old bayonet (I won’t name the specific teacher) but for me, the
trip was a great chance to start enjoying history and all its splendours.
I could hardly say that I enjoyed the
bus journey there however. Travelling
with forty-eight Y8’s and five History
teachers almost killed me – and that
was just the trip to Reading Services!
But we made it to our hostel in
Belgium (after countless Disney
songs) with the help of Paul, our
outstanding bus driver.
The hostel was so welcoming –
within the hour, we were all sat
enjoying our three course meal and
acting as if we were back at Monmouth, excited for the week
ahead of us. The cooks were lovely, but spoke Flemish –
crushing my dreams of having a conversation with a Frenchspeaker in French (not that I would be able to say much more
than ‘hello’, ‘how are you’ and ‘thank you’).
On the second day, we set off into the town of Ypres (apparently
not pronounced ‘wipers’ but ‘eep’) and visited the Cathedral,
the In Flanders Fields Museum, the Hooge Crater Museum and
café, the Bayernwald German trenches, Tyne Cot Cemetery,
Essex Farm, and the Langemark German Cemetery. The day
brought both laughter and tears, leaving us all a bit emotionally
42
drained on the bus journey home.
But the teachers hadn’t finished with
us yet, as we were rushed back out
again straight after dinner to go
bowling! Had Mr Davies been there,
I’m certain that we would have been
back much before half past ten and
would have been sent straight to bed,
yet Mr Lewis insisted that we stay up
and socialise in the games-room until
eleven before we were allowed to
retire to our dorms!
The next morning, both of my roommates suffered a cold wet
flannel to the face at a quarter to seven (5:45 standard British
time) when they refused to acknowledge the light pouring
through the windows. I’m a morning person. Following one still
refusing to move, she had her duvet removed from her bed,
much to her annoyance. I apologised for this, but it was mostly
deserved.
I think that it must have been told to us at least twenty times that
morning that it was essential for us to bring a coat on the trip
that day, as it was forecast to rain all day and we were going to
be walking a fair amount. Somehow, I managed to pack neither
- Summer Term 2014
a coat nor a jumper in my
rucksack – and they were right:
it did rain all day. We walked
Vimy Memorial Park, Vimy
Ridge, the Newfoundland
Park, the Thiepval Memorial,
Mametz Wood, Tyne Cot
Cemetery (to lay a wreath at a
family member’s gravestone) and various other memorials that
we decided to visit in passing. They were all very emotionally
moving places, made even more sombre by the relentless
downpour. By the time we returned to the bus, I was soaked
through to the skin and shivering like it was the middle of
winter.
A warm shower fixed that, and we were all soon looking forward
to the whole-day trip to Bellewaerde Theme Park the next day –
apart from one teacher, who was very upset that she didn’t find
her bayonet.
The following morning, both my roommates got up as soon as
I drew the curtains, having learnt from their mistake the
previous morning. After we were all dressed and had breakfast,
the coach set off for Bellewaerde. It was an amazing day out for
everyone (teachers included – I saw them on the swing
carousel!) and when we got back to the hostel, we all had to
dress up in smart, casual attire before walking into Ypres town
to watch the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. We
couldn’t really see much, but the atmosphere brought a tear to
most people’s eye, including Mr Lewis’.
When we returned, a talent contest was held, with songs,
comedy acts, and even a table tennis demonstration with neither
a table nor a ball. It was a very interesting evening to say the
least, and we saw a lot more than was anticipated. It was fun
though, which is, I guess, all
that really matters.
On the last morning of our
stay, we all hurried to pack our
suitcases before breakfast and
found that what had once fit
into them was now spilling
over the edges. After much
hassle and frustration though, we managed to thank the owner
of the hostel and board the coach with all bags packed on the
way to our final destination: Bruges.
If ever there was a place to buy gifts for family and friends,
Bruges was that place. It had chocolate shops, souvenir stalls,
book stores, restaurants, fabric retailers, games shops – anything
you could ever want. But all too soon, it was time to return to
Calais port for a 2.20 departure. The crossing was a little rough,
and we didn’t make it back to Monmouth until the early hours
of the morning, whereupon everyone was reunited with their
families. I don’t think that the teachers could have been thanked
enough for what they did for us. I mean – Y8’s aren’t exactly the
best people to spend the best part of a week with. But the trip is
still running, which is a good sign that they weren’t too scarred
by the experience.
Overall, I don’t know one person that I have spoken to about the
trip that hasn’t thoroughly enjoyed it. I even hinted to Mr Lewis
that I wanted to go on the trip again – with little success I might
add. But I would recommend the trip to anyone who likes
history, and even those who don’t think they do. It has opened
my eyes to history and, more importantly, the world around me
- a phenomenal experience.
Cassie de St. Croix, 9NJ
43
Eisteddfod Ysgol Gyfun Trefynwy
Mawrth 27ydd
March 27th
Monmouth Comprehensive School’s Eisteddfod
The Monmouth Comprehensive 2015 Eisteddfod was held on the
27th of March. It was a jam-packed day full of exciting events such
as dancing, class songs, singing, fashion shows, music and, the
most important part of the day, the Chairing Ceremony of the Bard.
Facing a sea of red, the official 2015
Bard was Katy Mather in 9GD (Dorris
Jones) with the poem ‘Fy Arwr’/‘My
Hero’ which discussed how authors
were her heroes as they told her about
things she may never experience in real
life.
Some performances that really stood
out were: Heidi Walliman on the piano
and Bethany Piper (Y7) on the violin,
Jay Hardy and Gabby Doody singing,
Scott Jackson performing a guitar
accompaniment to their song and
Livvie Davies from Y8 singing a Welsh
song and playing the ukulele. We also
enjoyed Ella Young singing and Gracie
Chadwick singing with her guitar, both
from Y9. Our Form performed on
stage for the second year running
which was really fun. We can’t wait
until next year!
The Welsh Faculty look forward to
many more Chairing Ceremonies using
this beautiful chair but Katy has the
honour of being the first MCS student
to be awarded the Chair.
By Daisy, Emily and Arwen. 8PY
Miss Pearson
44
This was the first Chairing Ceremony
using our new, handmade chair kindly
donated by Mr and Mrs Clarke who
are parents of past students. Mr & Mrs
Clarke donated the chair as a thank
you to the school as their daughters
performed on stage in the Eisteddfod
a number of times.
Fy Arwr
Ym mhedwar ban y byd,
Mae llawer o awduron,
Yn ysgrifennu am byd newydd.
Maen nhw’n...
Ddoniol a diddorol,
Siaradus a swnllyd,
Gwych ac anhygoel,
Gyffrous a thalentog.
Ond maen nhw’n...
Dawel a hyfryd,
Gyfeillgar a chefnogol,
Dewr ac ysbrydol,
Ddylanwadol a charedig.
Ym mhedwar ban y byd,
Mae mil o awduron,
Yn gwneud pobl yn chwerthin,
Crio gyda thristwch,
Sgrechian gyda ofn,
Ac wylo gyda hapusrwydd!
Rydw i’n dwli ar fy awduron,
Achos maen nhw’n gwneud fy
mywyd yn well nag erioed.
Gan Dorris Jones
On the 14th of July 2014 a group
of Y7 and Y8 students set off from
school to the Urdd centre in
Llangrannog. The activities that they
took part in included: dry slope skiing,
tobogganing, go-carting, quad-biking,
archery, walking, climbing, horseriding, high ropes, beach trips and
eating the best ice cream in the world!
All of the staff were extremely nice and
all spoke fluent Welsh which really
developed our speaking skills. The
food was also very nice; there was at
least one hot meal a day. As well as
this there were snacks throughout the
day.
We all highly recommend the Centre
because it is a great experience and
opportunity for students in our school.
The surrounding area is picturesque,
especially the beach nearby.
Daisy, Arwen and Emily, 8PY
45
Behind the scenes of
Sweeney Todd
At the start of the school term being told that the
school production was going to be ‘Sweeney Todd’ was
an exciting yet daunting experience. It was a complete
contrast to the previous school production of ‘Schools
Will Rock You’, going from the highly energetic songs
of ‘Queen’ to the macabre story of a murderous barber
set for revenge.
realised the work we had ahead of us in order to successfully pull
off this challenging production. With rehearsals picking up pace,
the looming pressure of what we had all undertaken was
apparent, but just seeing everything come together during the
weeks leading up to the shows meant that all the hard work was
paying off. My role as the Director’s Assistant allowed me to be
a part of everything from the start to the very end, revealing just
what goes into putting on your own production.
Throughout my life I have been on stage in shows acting from
a young age but, over the past years, discovering that there was
more to drama than just acting led me to take on various roles
backstage during ‘Schools Will Rock You’ which in turn led to
me discovering a new found passion for drama.
I knew that for this production I wanted to be heavily involved
backstage, and being chosen to be the ‘Director’s Assistant’ was
a role which I looked forward to fulfilling. Starting off with
auditions, it was wonderful to be heavily involved with the
casting of the show. With over a hundred people auditioning, it
was gratifying to see the amount of talented people we have at
Monmouth Comprehensive School. After casting was revealed,
rehearsals were quickly underway.
Visiting London in October to see ‘Sweeney Todd’ was a highly
inspiring trip which everyone thoroughly enjoyed, but we soon
46
Watching the final production, after months of work, was truly
rewarding, and confirmed to me that what I had chosen to go to
university to study was, indeed, what I wanted to go on to do in
the future. I will (if all goes to plan) go to Aberystwyth
University this year to study a joint course in Theatre Design
and Drama and Theatre Studies, combining my love for drama
with my passion for art and design. Being a part of this year’s
school production has not only introduced me to what I may be
doing on a larger scale in the future, but also given me the
determination to have a career being involved in something like
this in the future after University.
It was a sad feeling knowing that this was my last ever
production I will be part of at school, but I have no doubt that
all the members of staff at Monmouth Comprehensive School
will carry on inspiring
students like me long after I
have left by successfully
producing numerous shows
in the years to come.
Dorothy Laidler
Student Art
Sally West
Millie Sutton
Merrydith Russell
Merrydith Russell
Zoe Barrett
Kelly McGurk
Sarah Arnett
Bradley Smith
Hannah Coburn
Cyd Rawlins
Charley Bicknell
Thea Ward
Kelsey Thomas
47
Musings at MCS
In October Muse, the Creative Writing Club, were fortunate to begin a series of
poetry sessions with nationally renowned Welsh poet Matthew Plumb. An
ambassador for modern Welsh poetry, Matthew Plumb’s sessions allowed students
to immerse themselves in poetry with a specialist, whose passion and dedication
to the art was clearly evident throughout. As always, the students of MCS worked
with determination and produced some of the most profound and thoughtful
poetry Mr Plumb had seen in students their age.
The ultimate aim was to produce pieces
of poetry for a national project called
Cyfoeth Cymru Gyfan, ‘Sharing Treasures’,
which is a government backed scheme
from Amgueddfa Cymru, National
Museum Wales. This scheme culminated
in two exhibitions of work in
Abergavenny and Chepstow Museum,
which ran until the end of September.
The museums hung students’ writing
alongside artwork inspired by the Abbeys
at Llanthony and Tintern, by artists such
as the Buck brothers, Palmer, Turner,
Hodges, Sandby, Tudor, Grimm, Buckler,
Craxton, Gill, to name a few. Also
featured was the work of Walter Savage
Landor and William Wordsworth.
These exhibitions were a huge cultural
event for Monmouthshire and students
worked with dedication to produce
work that reflected the seclusion and
beauty of the once remote valleys of
Monmouthshire.
Particular congratulations go to Rhianna
Roberts (8KO) and Finty Evans (10CG)
who had their poem ‘Fragile’ displayed
next to JMW Turner’s work ‘Interior of
48
Tintern Abbey’ (see photograph).
Matthew Plumb commented:
“To engage with learners and staff at
Monmouth Comprehensive was an
absolute joy. The commitment shown by
students to attend what was effectively a
class out of school hours (although I do
try to make my workshops fun) is a real
testament to a willingness to excel which
is clearly encouraged by a committed and
popular staff.
‘Sites of Inspiration’ was a tough project.
To write poetry inspired by Romantic
painting was not easy. The end result, the
beautiful display at Chepstow exhibition,
was a show-case not just of excellent
poetry by students, but the school as a
whole. It was a real pleasure to talk with
members of the public about the pieces,
the pupils, and the school, and the
collaboration of school and museum
created a really sweet vibe.
I shouldn't have a favourite, and I
definitely cannot name names, but I am
convinced one of the group is a sure-fire
star of the future. Everyone keep writing.”
Mrs M. Mortimer-Davies
World Book Day
World Book Day in March resulted in some stunning book themed cakes. There was considerable baking and
decorating talent on show which resulted in a great deal of deliberation before the joint winners were announced Eve Rawlings with a Willy Wonka cake and Kyle Handley-Jenkins with a Lord of the Rings offering.
49
Greece Sports Tour
Rugby
The opportunity that we were given to play rugby in
another country was brilliant and the facilities were
amazing. We had our training sessions on the 4G pitch at
the sports camp and we played our first fixture on it.
Our first game was difficult because we had never played
together before, it was a team put together just for Greece
but that didn’t stop us and we had a convincing win
against the local team.
We had more training sessions on the 4G pitch back
at the sports camp to prepare us for the next game
so we went to our next game feeling very confident
as we had already beaten the team before. We had
many changes to our team due to injuries but, once
again, we came back with a massive result putting
15 tries on the opposite team. The opposition were
great as they never gave up and they all had a great
attitude to rugby.
The U16 team also won both of their fixtures
against the local team with many different aged boys
playing from Years 9, 10 and 11. Overall, the rugby in Greece
was outstanding, coming back with a win from every game.
Harry Jenkins, 9LD
Netball
During our week away in
Loutraki, Greece, we took part in
three days of sports. I, along with
many other girls, took part in
netball which was coached by
Christine; Christine has had over
25 years of coaching experience and
we were very lucky to have her join
us again for the third year. Christine
built
upon
our
netball
knowledge and skills by leading
drills and games.
Throughout the week our
netball improved and we were
then able to demonstrate this in
the netball tournament at the
end of the week. The teams
were fairly matched and this
led to a very interesting few
matches, the results were
amazing and the experience was extremely beneficial. All that
we learnt will stay with us for a very long time and we are now able
to apply it all to our netball back in the UK.
We would all like to say thank you to Christine, Miss Phillips,
Mr Devonald and Mr Jones for building our confidence, netball
skills and giving us a very enjoyable few days on the Sports Tour.
50
Ellie Johnson, 10RP
Dance
My older sister went on the Spain Sports Tour in
2013 and thoroughly enjoyed it so when the
letters came out and the new destination was
Greece I decided to put my name down.
Throughout the week I took part in dance there were five 90 minute training sessions
which were run by a qualified dance instructor. She taught
us many techniques which we could use in dance and this helped brilliantly when
working on the choreography she had prepared. This was very tiring but learning and
performing the dance was a lot of fun! Dance was supported by Miss Owen and Mrs
Egan and they got stuck in and performed the dance with us which was great.
We did a lot during the week and visited many places, including visiting a theme
park, the Acropolis in Athens, Mycenae, Epivardos and Loutraki beach. As well as all the trips,
the teachers organised a quiz and a disco.
Overall, I had an amazing week and I’m sure everyone else who went did as well. The whole
Sports Tour was a great experience, it was so lovely to spend time with friends and meet new
people outside of school. The teachers were also great and organised so much for us to do.
I highly recommend this Tour so if you’re thinking about going, you definitely should!
Ellen Williams, 9GD
51
Hockey
This year’s hockey teams showed a great deal of
skill and improvement from the beginning to the
end of the Tour.
Both the A and B teams put a lot of effort into each
training session and into the fixtures held against the
Greek teams. We each had a chance to play with
people we do not normally play with in school and the
Greece Sports Tour was a great experience for both
those who are familiar and unfamiliar with the sport.
Even though not every hockey fixture went the way we
had hoped, each member of the A and B teams experienced
playing against someone who was either younger or older than
them, helping develop their skills as an
individual.
Day 2 saw us begin our training and on
Wednesday we travelled into Athens to
explore the Acropolis. The views from
there were breathtaking and I would
definitely recommend a visit.
In the matches played on the Greece
Sports Tour 2015, there were some
fantastic goals scored from both our
teams and, even though the matches
didn’t always result in victory, MCS
didn’t go down without a fight!
On Thursday we were back at training,
playing volleyball in our spare time. We
visited the ancient site of Mycenae and
the Theatre at Epidaurus on Friday,
finishing off the day with a trip to the
beach. It was a bit wild and windy but worth it!
Everyone played extremely well for MCS,
despite the hot weather that was sometimes
off-putting and everyone tried to the best
of their ability during the fun training
sessions and in the competitive matches.
Monmouth came home feeling very proud of everyone who
played hockey on the tour as everyone improved their individual
performances as well as playing for a team.
We look forward to
seeing the results
from the hockey
players on next
year’s Sports Tour of
Spain and Gibraltar
as this year’s was
truly fantastic!
Bethan Mayo,
10WM
52
Greece 2015 was a trip to remember. The weather was so hot
and sunny, it was hard not to catch a tan! Day 1 at the theme
park was so exciting (regardless of the lack
of sleep). The rides had a lot to live up to but
they rose to the occasion.
On Saturday we woke up feeling sad – today we were leaving
for Heathrow and the UK. Greece 2015 – what a Sports Tour!!
Alice Livesey, 10WM
Students
Football
After arriving at the sports camp in Greece
on Saturday, we spent Sunday at a theme
park before heading back late afternoon to
watch two very entertaining games of rugby.
First thing after breakfast on Monday morning we took part in a relatively easy session
to get us ready for that night, the first game of the tour. All throughout the week we
played on lovely 4G surfaces, which were on site at the Sports Camp.
After making our way down to the 4g pitches, we had another gentle 10 minute warm
up to get us ready for the game ahead of us. Before the start of the game, the ref made
us walk out to the edge of the pitch and give a little wave and a clap to everyone
watching – a really nice touch, I thought.
From minute one we struggled to get a foothold in the game and that showed as we
went into half time 4-0 down. With morale low, we picked ourselves up heading into
the second half - only for it to be knocked back down by two very fast goals, 6-0! After
this we managed to keep them out for a good period of time before they snuck in one
more goal just before the final whistle. This was to be cancelled out at the last minute
by a lovely header from Ryan Mills, beating both defender and keeper, assisted by
Nathan Brooks.
After a few rest days where we did various activities out and about in Greece we had
another training session, trying to work on playing as a team. On the Thursday we took
to the field again. Within five minutes we looked to be playing well and we got a goal
to show for our efforts - another assist from Nathan Brooks, setting me up for a simple
tap in. After this, goals came from Nathan Brooks and Ben Hopkins. Unfortunately we
gave away a late penalty which allowed
them to snatch the draw.
We finished off the week with one last
training session where a wide range of
people on the tour joined in and played
a tournament.
Overall the tour was a great laugh, the
sports camps’ facilities were very good
and the days out were brilliant. It's a
tour I’d recommend to anyone!
Nathan Hawkins, 10BG
Holly Ainge, Samuel Andrews,
Phoebe Bailey, Ryan Bamford,
Thomas Bamford, Olivia Barber,
Emily Barker, Victoria Barker,
Yolanda Beetge, Georgia Bevan,
Joshua Bicknell, Eric Blair, Nicole
Bradshaw, Mae Brickley, Nathan
Brooks, Eloise Brown, Leah Brown,
Karrie Browne, Rhiannon BurchellHaslett, Bethan Carlton, Tia Childs,
Lauren Compton, Rhya Cooper,
Bronwen Crabtree, Owen
Craddock, Francesca Crilly, Natasha
Daly, Emma Davies, Thomas Davies,
Hollie Dawson, Angel Donaldson,
Caitlin Edwards, Tori Edwards,
Joshua Ellis, Becky Embling, LillyMae Etheridge, Charlotte Fisher,
Katherine French, Hollie Fuszard,
Emily George, Euan Gillespie,
Samantha Gittings, Hunter Guthrie,
Amy Hallam, Joshua Hamblin,
Sophie Hardy, Jay Harris, Josie
Harrison, Nathan Hawkins,
Charlotte Heath, Aaron Hickmans,
Benjamin Hopkins, Jamie Hosford,
Hannah Hough, Amy Howells, Cian
Hutchinson, Alice James, Darcie
James, Emily James, Tasha James,
Meggie Jarrold, Hannah Jenkins,
Harry Jenkins, Eleanor Johnson,
Adam Jones, Coby Jones, Harriet
Kearsey, Katie Kearsey, Codi Kindy,
Molly Large, Jessica-Mae Light,
Olivia Light, Elsa Lilly, Alice Livesey,
Amber Love, Charlotte Marchant,
Kirsty Maylin, Bethan Mayo,
Georgina Mayo, James Mear, Rory
Meredith, Lucinda Merrett, Eloise
Moreby, Ellie Murtha, Serena Natt,
Emma Norman, Regan Paddock,
Georgia Parry, Kaitlyn Phillips,
Freya Pierrepoint, Ben Pilot, Sophie
Pilot, Cara Powell, Fenella Price,
Lauren Price, Callum Pritchard,
Alice Richards, Sophie Richards,
Scarlet May Richings, Michael
Ridgway, Rhianna Roberts, Lara
Schandlinger, Tazmin Scoles,
Annika Scrivin, Beatrice Smith,
Lauren Smith, Lydia Smith, Lewis
Snell, Ross Sykes, Chloe Tabberer,
Matthew Terrell, Rhoddi Thomas,
Jesica Tingle, Keanna Townsend,
Charlotte Uttley, Frances Vaughan,
Grace Elizabeth Wainewright,
Reuben Wallace, Olivia Wells,
Elizabeth Widdicks, Dominic
Williams, Ellen Williams, Harry
Williams and Molly Williams.
Staff
Emma Biddle, Dan Devonald, Dave
Egan, Louisa Egan, Carly Hagerty,
Pete Jenkins, Alyn Jones, Rowan
Jones, Ryan Mills (former student),
James Murphy, Ricky Newman,
Jon Owen, Kate Owen and Aimee
Phillips.
53
Madrid Football Tour 2015
Our first day in Madrid saw us on a
full tour of the Santiago Bernabeu
where we revelled in awe at the sheer
enormity of a stadium draped in a
century of footballing history. Even
in an empty stadium, every student
felt the powerful atmosphere that
the Bernabeu generated. The
changing rooms and the hundreds
of professional trophies were truly
inspiring to our players and every
player was eager to take to the pitch
themselves to show off their ability;
but not before the evening’s
entertainment!
We were lucky enough to be in town
for a professional basketball match,
a local derby nonetheless. Real
Madrid faced off against local rivals
Movistar Estudiantes in the
Barclaycard Centre in downtown
Madrid. The electric atmosphere
and exciting play charged the team’s
competitive spirit ready for a hard
week of training.
Building up to the tour, the excitement of both the players
and the staff was palpable. From the kit fitting to the early
morning meet at the bus bay, everything was building up to
a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the prestigious Valdebebas
training facility of Real Madrid C.F.
Game day one had arrived; everyone
was giddy with anticipation at the
prospect of finally playing a match.
So, after a mornings preparation at
Valdebebas, we travelled to our first
fixture and after inspirational
speeches from Danny, Mr Penny,
Mr Michael and Mr Williams we
were ready to play.
The first match was preceded by a
great show of sportsmanship from
both sides with each team enjoying
the competitive spirit. As kick off
came, Team A was ready and,
despite some initial woes, the team
were steadfast and were propelled by
the likes of Matt Macklin,
Jack Mayo, Henry Corcoran and
Sam Oxley to a 6-2 victory; Oxley
grabbing a world beating four goals.
Stepping off the coach in Valdebebas
felt like a dream we were waiting to
wake up from. The facility stood in
front of us, at our disposal for a
whole week. We were guided in our
football by our assigned coach,
Danny, who sought to improve our
ability as individuals and as a team.
Playing and learning in the
scorching heat forged together two
teams to be reckoned with - all that
was left for our teams was to prove
themselves.
54
The second game brought even
more excitement with an impressive
performance from all players, namely
Sam Oxley who scored another
brace and, from the spine of the
team, Alex Cleaves, George Baynes
and Callum Wheatley who were fierce
in the face of a very athletic team;
Charlie Rodgers also put in a huge
performance to see his team through.
Another day of training helped us
learn even more than we had before
from Danny and a tour of the
Valdebebas facility fuelled our
passion to become better. As game
day two approached, the daunting
prospect of playing two fiercely
competitive teams faced us. The
pressure of game day two was
astronomical in light of the necessity
to match up to our first match
performances but every single
player showed the heart and passion
for the game that had brought them
to Madrid in the first place. Match
day two kicked off in a far more
heated manner on the back of a
fiery motivation speech from
Mr Williams. The competition was
fierce in game one and Team A had
to fight with all their energy to
record a well-earned 2-1 victory
behind another fantastic performance
from Matt Macklin with goals from
Seb Harvey and an unstoppable
Jack Mayo. The second match had
all the prospects of a hard battle,
prospects that were realised within
minutes of kick off. Both teams
fought and fought well but, despite a
standout defensive performance
from Matteo Merola-Scott, the team
could not hold on for a second victory.
Before we could leave there had to
be an Awards ceremony. By
unanimous decision Matt Macklin
was voted the Player’s Player of the
Tour, Tour Captain Callum Wheatley
was awarded the Coaches Player of
the Tour Award and Sam Oxley took
home the honours as Top Goal
Scorer with six goals in two games!
Amidst the competition and
football, a fantastic squad of teammates was formed. The whole trip
was truly inspirational and every
person formed relationships and
bettered themselves both as people
and as professionals. Everyone
thoroughly enjoyed the trip and it
was an experience that will stay with
all of the students and staff forever.
Ben Colewell, 12DM
The tour was supported by a number of local businesses who helped make the tour a reality through sponsorship. Sulzer supplied tracksuits
for the players to travel in and look the part around the hotel, training ground and city with Mokos Mexican restaurant and Chris Webbley
providing training kit for the six sessions at Real Madrid. Celandine supplied the team with new playing kit which will be used over the
coming years by MCS football teams. Many thanks to all these sponsors who helped make the trip the experience that it was.
55
Music at MCS
Music For Youth
On 6th March, 10 school music
ensembles and nearly 70 students
attended the Regional Festival of Music
For Youth hosted by Gwent Music
Service at Newport Centre.
Students had been working hard in
preparation for their 10 minute
performance recital, with many
students performing in several groups.
The groups included; Orchestra, Wind
Band, Brass Quartet, Jazz Band, Glee
Choir, Gospel Choir, Folk Band,
Musical Theatre Ensemble, Cello and Bass
Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble.
The performances were fantastic and
the feedback received from the Music
mentors was very positive, with many
complimentary comments and support
to help improve as Musical ensembles.
It was an afternoon of Music by MCS
and the mentors said they thoroughly
enjoyed it, as did our students and staff.
For more information about the festival
visit www.mfy.org.uk; photos of the
event can be found at the official
Gwent Music Service Facebook page.
My Day at
Music for Youth!
On Friday 6th March 2015 Monmouth
Comprehensive School went to
Newport to perform at Music for
Youth. We took lots of different groups
including Orchestra, Wind Band,
Musical Theatre, Jazz, Senior Choir,
Percussion and Glee Choir. We had
great success there and the judges were
very impressed, they said, “In the
afternoon Monmouth Comprehensive
School took over the place!” However
they said that they very much enjoyed
our performances and they wished us
success in the next round. Now we will
have to wait and see whether we get
through to the next round!
Katherine Gunter, 7MA
56
Awards for
Tom Morley and
Dylan Sluiter
Performers at MYF: Ryan St
Amand, Rhiannon Birchall-Haslett,
Ellen Coombes, Lily Jacks, Dylan
Sluiter, Tom Morley, Natasha
Chandra, Annika Prince, Finty
Evans, Josie Evans, Joe Phelps, Cyd
Rawlins, Frances Dowle, Elsa Lilly,
Charlotte Edge, Jess Netherway,
Megan Kinniment-Williams, Simeon
Jones, Luke Hartley, Reuban
Pierrepoint, Jamie Barker, Pippa
Morgan, Lucinda Merrett, Felicity
Walsh, Hannah Pope, Mabli Powell,
Harry Sully, Dan Follows, Alice
Gable, Sophie Pope, Gracie Follows,
Bethany Piper, Heidi Walliman,
Arhonwen Evans, Lucy Powell, Lucy
George, Daisy Lester, Bronwen
Davies, Amber Snaith, Cassie de st
Croix, Ollie Chilcott, Ella de st
Croix, Holly Ikin, Ted Rawlins, Molly
Hole, Josh Morgan, Mike Slack,
James Askew, Jospeh Scott, Lucy
Hale, Josie Harrison, Ischia Day,
Anna Moore, Alex Fielding, Arwen
Van der Horst, Amelia Lane, Freya
Pierrepoint, Eliza Mayo, Katherine
Gunter, Eabha Strong-Wright, Harry
Morgan, Rhys Walters, Cameron
Pardington, Zach Salmon, Eleanor
Nicholson, Louisa Hasler, Molly
Brickley-Clark, Florence Mayo,
Bethan Morgan and Owen Warner.
Lucy George, Rhianna Roberts,
Alice Sullivan, Bronwen Davies,
Sully,
Gracie
Follows,
Harry
Merrydith Russell, Mabli Powell and
Dan Follows.
Friends of Dingestow
Greater Gwent
Youth Brass Band
Hannah Pope, Jessica Netherway,
Natasha Chandra, Annica Prince, Zoe
McCarroll and Becky Welton all
performed in the Greater Gwent Youth
Brass Band this year. They were
awarded 3rd place at the National
Youth Brass Band Championships and
will also perform at the National
Festival of Music for Youth in
Symphony Hall Birmingham in July.
Commemoration
of WWI
When Felix Hales, heard the true story
of the Bosley Brothers from the
Monmouthshire Regiment,
his
response was to write the music to
this ballad of Remembrance for both
the Bosley Brothers and to all the
extraordinary young soldiers who
shared and still share today, the final
moments of life with each other in
battle. More details may be found on
page 58.
1000 Voices Concert
MCS students performed at the 1000
Voices Concert at the Motorpoint
Arena in December in aid of the
Noah’s Arc Appeal. Daisy Lester,
Lucy Powell, Cassie De St Croix,
Molly Hole, Ella De St Croix,
Students once again provided an
afternoon concert for the Friends of
Dingestow group at the village hall this
Christmas - well received by all.
Twinning Association
As part of the Carbonne/Monmouth
Twinning Association 40th Anniversary
Celebrations Musicians and Linguists
hosted a Concert at St Mary's Church
on Friday 1st May. A large audience
was in attendance and students
provided an informal evening of varied
musical performances including Choirs,
Chamber Orchestra, Folk Ensemble,
Jazz Ensemble, vocal/instrumental
duets as well as several soloists.
The evening was a great success and
was well led by the confident A Level
French students, providing excellent
compering for the concert.
Music Gradings
Grade 1
Joe Arnold
Ischia Day
Amy Howells
Cerys Hughes
Eloise Moreby
Alice Powles
Grade 2
Emily Bowley
Emily Bowley
Charlie Cooke
Guitar
Sophia Fenby
Alice Hancock
Jamie-Lee Lewis
Drums (Distinction)
Piano (Distinction)
Violin
Piano (Merit)
Violin
Flute
Clarinet (Merit)
Piano (Distinction)
Rockschool
Violin
Flute
Alto Saxophone
(Merit)
Tristan Nicholas Rockschool Guitar
Rhianna Roberts Violin
Kalil Rodgers
Cornet
Oliver Rowlands Tuba (Distinction)
Annika Scrivin
Clarinet
Sam Williams
Violin
Grade 3
Taryn Birkett
Emily Brown
Katie Edmunds
Josie Harrison
Daisy Lester
Gabriella
Middleton
Rhianna Roberts
Charlotte Uttley
Heidi Walliman
Grade 4
Arhonwen Evans
Rachel Geen
Casey Kwok
Katie Mapp
Eliza Mayo
Cameron
Pardington
Mike Slack
Ioan Williams
Grade 5
Ollie Chilcott
Beth KinnimentWilliams
Elsa Lily
Anna Moore
Anna Moore
Anna Moore
Georgia Parry
Cyd Rawlins
Cyd Rawlins
Dylan Sluiter
Grade 6
Oliver Chilcott
Charlotte Edge
Kerry Kwok
Reuban
Pierrepoint
Amber Snaith
Lauren Waycott
Ella Young
Flute
Flute
Clarinet
Clarinet
Violin
Flute
Piano (Merit)
Flute
Harp (Merit)
Flute
Violin
Piano
Trumpet
(Distinction)
Viola
Drum Kit
Drum Kit
Tuba (Distinction)
Theory
Cello
Theory
Flute
Theory
Violin
Clarinet (Merit)
Clarinet
Theory
Drum Kit
Violin
Cello
Piano
Cello
Cello
Cello
Violin
Grade 7
Frances Dowle
Zoe McCarroll
Clarinet
Tenor Horn
(Merit)
Jessica Netherway Euphonium
(Merit)
Bethany Piper
Violin
Hannah Pope
Baritone
(Distinction)
Becky Welton
Tenor Horn
(Merit)
57
WW1 At Home: Monmouthshire Regiment
Ballad of Remembrance
When Felix Hales, a Sixth Form student from Monmouth
Comprehensive School, heard the true story of the Bosley
Brothers from the Monmouthshire Regiment, his response
was to write the music to this ballad of Remembrance for both
the Bosley brothers and to all the extraordinary young soldiers
who shared, and still share today, the final moments of life with
each other in battle.
In September 1914 the Bosley brothers joined the
Monmouthshire Regiment. In 1915, after a short stay in
Ypres, the battalion were back on the front line on April 17th.
Here they were to stay, without relief, for the next 17 days. On
the afternoon of May 2nd, 1915, a shell landed among the
machine gun section. Corporal Thomas John Bosley (Tom),
of Tredegar had to write to his parents at home in Wales where
they lived at No. 9 Park Hill, Tredegar, informing them of the
death of his beloved older brother and their son, Frederick
1914 The Great War
Me and the boys of Monmouth leave for the cause
We wear smiles of love, smiles of hope
My brothers strong heart pulling my rope
We marched through the darkness
Sailed through to the dawn
For each other and the land we called home
Remember the stones we used as grenades
The branches we snapped and the rifles we made
The cries of laughter carry through the trees
As we race through hills to fight in the fields
You wounded in battle I fought on alone
Until dusk settled and mum called us home
The sweet voice of our mother calling us home
William Bosley (Fred):
“I do not know how to write this letter, which is to convey such bad
news and to give you all such a blow. Poor Fred was killed by a
shrapnel bullet at about 4 p.m. on Sunday May 2nd. He died
instantly. He and Lieut. Martin were killed by the same shell.
They buried them in an open space by a wood and I followed his
last remains to the grave where the Colonel read the burial service.
I cannot write anymore” Tom.
“Imagine seeing your own brother killed in front of you and
then imagine the strength it must have taken to bury him” said
18-year-old Felix who is studying Music and History A Levels.
“I have an older brother and it must have taken extraordinary
courage. When I read the letter Tom then had to write home
to his parents informing them that Fred had died, I really
wanted to do justice to the letter. Also to the love Tom had left
behind, whose perspective the song is also written from”.
The Monmouthshire Regiment had been formed in 1908 as
the Territorial Army unit for the county and was made up of
three Battalions drawn from different areas of the county.
Abergavenny was the headquarters of the 3rd Battalion (‘3rd
Mons’) which included two companies from Abertillery, one
each from Blaina, Sirhowy, Tredegar, Ebbw Vale and Cwm
and one company from Abergavenny.
Tredegar War Memorial, where Frederick Bosley is
remembered, is situated in the lower end of the grounds of
Bedwellty House and Park, Tredegar. The house and park
were constructed in 1818 as the home of Samuel Homfray, the
Ironmaster at Tredegar Iron Works. The land on which it is
situated was owned by Lord Tredegar and was later given to
the people of Tredegar (all apart from a small section). The
war memorial was unveiled on the 14th December 1924, by
the then Lord Tredegar.
58
I’ll stand beside you, I’ll carry your name
I’ll wait beyond forever, I’ll carry the flame
I’ll write letters to heaven, pin wishes to stars
Follow the rainbow till I’m back in your arms
I’ll count every blessing turn every stone
I’ll light every candle, until you come home
Staring at a cross - granite and pearl
Your name in flowers, your flag neatly furled
In the half-light of the evening I’m asking My Lord
Why the shadow of a cross looks like a sword?
No songs, no hymns, just the memories we own
And the voice of your mother calling you home
Remember the stones we used as grenades
The branches we snapped and the rifles we made
The cries of laughter carry through the trees
As we race through hills to fight in the fields
You wounded in battle I fought on alone
Until dusk settled and mum called us home
The sweet voice of our mother calling us home.
Location: Tredegar War Memorial, Bedwellty House
and Park, Morgan Street, Tredegar, NP22 3XN
Music written by Felix Hales and performed by
Felix Hales and Isabel Bridgeman.
Lyrics by Felix Hales and John Birch.
Many of the men whose details appear in the various
pages of the Tredegar Memorial section were members
of the Monmouthshire Regiments and have no known
graves. Most are commemorated on the wall panels of
the Menin Gate at Ypres.
Student Art
Johaze Basarte
Jeena Sriphan
Beth Tudball
Emily Bagshaw
Johaze Basarte
Sarah Hunt
Maizie Morgan
James Whittaker
Olivia Blanch
Sarah Hunt
Sally West
Emily Bagshaw
59
The Great ‘Eggsperiment’
This term, Year 7 have been set a complex challenge during their Integrated lessons. They have to
design and build a catapult which can fire an egg up to two meters. Sounds easy? Not when they are
judged on accuracy!
In order to win the challenge, and the chocolate, the
winning team will get to fire a real egg into a frying pan to
hit the centre of the target, with one shot! How are 7MA
feeling so far?
“It's great to do something new...it's like engineering
....learning about forces, angles and variables.”
“I love the competition,
it gets us all stoked up to win!”
“It’s hard just using set equipment.
Our first design wasn't very good but we kept
going and now have a working one!”
“I like working in a team to
solve a problem because we
all get ideas from each other.”
“This challenge is fun, I am
learning the different
stages of a Science
experiment and using
numeracy in a real way
to help us win.”
7MA are very enthusiastic about
the project and are developing a
wide range of skills. Will they
win the chocolate?... we will
have to wait and see!
60
Eine reiche und erfüllende Erahrung
The first day we arrived I saw history
come to life with a guided tour around
Dachau concentration camp. The whole
group were tired after our non-stop
travel from school to the airport but
this didn’t stop us from feeling
completely overwhelmed and emotional
from the experience. Our tour guide
was tremendous; the atmosphere
surrounding us changed dramatically as
soon as he started speaking about the
reality of the camp. Everyone was
definitely shell-shocked and speechless
for the bus journey back.
I also had so much fun in our ‘down
time’. I grew to know and become closer
to lots of people on the trip which added
to the experience. We had a lovely time
relaxing in the evening at our hotel, it
wasn’t all relaxing though! We spent
one of our nights travelling in to the city
centre on trams - this was exciting
enough for everyone! A couple of hours
were spent exploring the area and then
we sat down to have some food; it was
interesting to see the city from a
different perspective at night when
everything was buzzing. On the whole
there was a good balance between
leisure activities and the historical
pursuits.
The highlight of the trip for me and lots
of my peers was driving up into the Alps
to get to the Obersalzburg Documentation
Centre. The bus drive alone was beautiful.
The peaks of the mountains were covered
in snow but it was a lovely sunny day.
The snow surrounded Documentation
Centre was useful in consolidating my
knowledge of the Nazis in Germany; it
was easy to absorb the stream of
information from headphone speakers
and images as we moved around the
Centre. We walked through the Centre
as if walking through history. There was
an added, unexpected experience of
going down into the gas chambers that
were beneath the building, a spooky
walk for everyone.
We were able to absorb the information
we had received on a balcony area on
the side of the Centre. There was a
fantastic view of the Alps, we could also
see the ‘Eagles Nest’ (Hitler’s retreat high
up in the mountains), also surreal to see
in real life. Everyone took lots of photos
and then we finished off with an icecream in the local town.
The last day was incredible. We had a
walking tour around Munich using trams
to get around. Our tour guide retraced
the steps of the Nazis through Munich, we
saw places like Munich University (which
the White Rose Group - a non-violent
intellectual resistance group - attended),
a view that Hitler painted as a youngster,
and the cathedral Frauenkirche.
Of course, we ended at the famous
Hofbrauhaus to have our traditional
German meal which was for starters salty
pea and bacon soup, pork and
dumplings for main and a beautiful berry
pudding. The building itself was
incredible and unimaginably vast.
Overall this trip left us not wishing to
leave for another four days! We saw so
much in such a short space of time but it
definitely left us wanting more; which in
my opinion is what defines a successful
trip. This was a great excursion that I will
never forget - an eventful and fulfilling
experience.
Leonora Ellis, 10HF
Earlier this term we went on a trip to
Munich. I really enjoyed it, though it
would have been a better start if the
buses had turned up to take us to the
airport; but one taxi trip later, we were
ready to set off! My favourite parts of
the trip involved our visit to Nuremburg
and exploring the bunker near the
Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden. If I had
the chance, I would do it all again!
Owen Warner, 10HF
The Munich trip was very enjoyable and
we crammed as many activities as we
possibly could into what time we had.
My favourite thing that we did was visit
Nuremburg because it showed a timeline
of History that we have learnt in school.
I really liked the fact that we were able to
go down into the bunker system on the
trip.
Tom Brice, 10HF
61
World Challenge
Following the success of the 2012 World Challenge expedition to Northern Morocco,
I soon found myself searching for a new destination and a new challenge for a team
to embark on. Bolivia seemed to offer the perfect mix of physical challenge (the
whole expedition was above 3,000m sea level, and treks offered summits of 5,500m),
valuable community work, cultural difference and diversity, and spectacular
scenery. On no level did it disappoint.
The students who embarked on this challenge were incredibly
brave and committed from the start. Their fundraising ideas were
unique and successful; from a ‘Night at the Races’ to polishing the
school silverware in preparation for Awards Evening, the team put
in the hard graft. They earned every penny and had already
achieved incredible feats before even stepping on the plane.
Whilst on expedition, there was challenge and reward around
every corner – altitude hurts, but gives breathtaking rewards
(pardon the pun!). The challengers were a pleasure to share
incredible Bolivia with. I will always remember crying with
laughter on an overnight train, huddled in my sleeping bag, the
genuine bonds formed at the orphanage we spent time at, and I
have definitely returned home with a new found respect for
tarmac.
I cannot overestimate the value of participating in a World
Challenge Expedition. Beyond the obvious benefits of how it looks
on a CV, and how jealous the pictures make people on Facebook,
these expeditions make you grow as a person. Even Mr Murphy
and myself came back knowing more about ourselves than we
knew when we left.
I am endlessly proud of our young people, who are motivated by
the challenge of fundraising, not phased by the thought of not
showering for a few days, and excited by the prospect of diving
into the unknown and embracing a new culture. Each challenger is
responsible for leading the expedition for a day. On this day, they
are responsible for organising transport, booking accommodation,
budgeting and generally running a tight ship! Below are the
reflections of Mr Murphy, and a selection of those young people
who took on ‘Bolivia ‘14’.
Miss Feldon
62
I nominated myself to be leader on the first
day of expedition! Everyone arrived very
early, with a mixture of excitement and
anticipation, at school ready to board the
bus to the airport. Whilst at the airport,
Richard, our Expedition Leader and I
headed to the currency counter to collect our
$10,000 for the trip!! We boarded the plane
and, after a short stop in Miami, 16 hours
of flying later we landed in Bolivia!!
We witnessed first-hand how dodgy(!) the
Bolivian driving was, but we made it safely
to our hostel in La Paz with help from Dan
and Sophie, our Spanish speakers. We then
spent the rest of the day acclimatising to the
very high altitude and exploring the city and trying not to get lost!!
Stephanie Davies
After yet another early morning start, we
soon faced the difficulty of not having
enough Boliviano’s to pay for the Hostel,
as we hadn’t changed all of our dollars
yet. After a little bit of bargaining and
negotiating the exchange rate, we
managed to sort it. Then, because
nothing could ever run that smoothly in
Bolivia, we realised we were actually one
taxi short, to take us to Cemetario (what
was basically one very large cemetery)
where we would catch our bus to take us
to Copacabana and our Acclimitisation
Trek. Claire ordered another one, and
Mr Murphy, Claire and I waited at the
hostel for it to arrive. We were soon all
together again in the right place at the
right time!
On the long bus journey, we had a short
stop, where we had to get off of the bus,
to board a boat to take us across a short
stretch of Lake Titicaca. At the ferry
port, several members of the team posed
for their photo with... a llama! After the
boat journey, we got
back on the bus,
before arriving at
Copacabana
and
finding a nice spot
on the beach to
camp. Miss Feldon
decided it would be
a good idea to teach
us all some Latin
American dancing!
So, catching the eyes
of the locals, we
danced some Samba
on the beach, before
taking a swim in the freezing Lake
Titicaca. After the boys fetched some
firewood, and some members of the
team went to the market, we had a
barbeque on the beach to the backdrop
of a beautiful sunset. Then, despite the
thunder and lightning, many of us stayed
up for a little sing song under the stars,
before going to bed, pretty early
(again..).
Chloe Mansell
Waking up on Copacabana Beach to a
morning thunderstorm presented my first
challenge as leader for
the day. Having
breakfast and packing
up our tents in the
rain felt like too much
effort this morning
and, to add to the
fun, I have a fear
of
thunder
and
lightning! Richard,
our Expedition Leader,
had to take some time
to decide whether it
was safe to take the
boat over to the island
where we would do
our Isla Del Sol Acclimatisation Trek. As we
waited, we were joined by some very
friendly but wet dogs that Sean and Lewis
decided to name and adopt as our own.
When we finally got onto the boat and the
skies began to clear, the challenges we faced
in the morning were forgotten. The entire
hour journey was spent singing along to
Chloe’s ukulele which even made the driver
smile. Singing often lifted spirts throughout
the expedition and became a great way to
interact with the locals.
Once we arrived, we set off walking and
exploring some of the island, carrying our
main packs, food for the three day trek,
tents, cookers – the lot! Many struggled with
our first experience of the altitude. Despite
this, we stuck together, took it slow, and
enjoyed the amazing views above Lake
Titicaca, giving us great photo
opportunities! Camp for the night was one
of my favourite locations – we arrived at a
pristine sandy beach and we were invited to
stay in a local’s back garden.We had plenty
of time before bed, therefore many brave
challengers took no hesitation in taking the
opportunity to have a swim in Lake
Titicaca - not many people can say they
have done that! The lake was freezing
though…
Some gooey rice for dinner didn’t dampen
anyone’s mood that evening – especially the
boys who made it very clear they were fed
up of carrying it and just wanted it eaten!
The evening was spent laughing at old
school memories and talking about our
63
the jeep drivers for some in-car heat. I
remember this day waking up wishing I
had just hidden away from the leader
role but as it turns out it was actually
quite an enjoyable day. The drivers were
wearing thin fleeces and were
singing/dancing as they mounted the
rucksacks onto the roof of the jeeps. Our
driver, Des, had mentioned earlier in the
journey that he had spent ‘much money’
on his in-car speakers and so he was
keen to provide a showing of them at any
given time - even at 7am in weather that
constantly reminded you to always leave
space in your water bottle overnight.
Bolivian experience so far.We had so much
to talk about even at the early stages of our
expedition. Sunrise the following morning
was a beautiful sight to wake up to. I wish
I could be back and experience it all again
with the new friends I made a long way.
Claire Baker
I was leader on the second day of the
Acclimatisation Trek. We set off at 9am
and walked for about three hours heading
towards the south of the island. The walk
was hard with one particular steep
destination, we all sat down and the boys
went off to explore whilst the girls sat
around singing, with Chloe playing her
ukulele. We even started to write our own
song, based on our experiences so far. It
wasn’t long before our singing attracted
attention and some of the little girls in
the village came to sing with us, their
favourite was the hokey cokey. We even
used our phrase book to learn heads,
shoulders, knees and toes in Spanish!
Although the walking was hard, getting
to spend time with children from the
local village made it so worthwhile!
Sophie Macklin
incline and we had to take regular breaks
due to some aches and pains within the
team. We accidentally annoyed a
Bolivian lady when we stopped in a
square in a little village without paying
her, safe to say we left quickly when she
was shouting at us! One of the highlights
for me of the day was Evie’s excitement
at a tree that looked like a llama, I think
the majority of the group got a photo of
it. When we had finally reached our
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I was leader on August 2nd, which was the
day of the festival in La Paz. It was one of
the more relaxing days, but I still organised
a few meetings to discuss the team budget
and what we were doing for our final meal.
I think my day as leader went quite well
overall, although it was quite difficult to get
a big team, with lots of ideas and excitement
to listen sometimes. I feel the day was quite
organised and we all had a good time either
watching the festival or out shopping. The
festival began in the morning and went on
until gone midnight, an endless (televised!)
procession of live music, dancing and people
wearing the most elaborate costumes. We
were really lucky to catch this annual event
and I will definitely remember it!
Louisa Hasler
Waking up at 6:55 in -14ºC weather
wearing five layers, the group stumbled
to the jeeps narrow-eyed and begging
We set off and headed for the Sol de
Mañana Geysers where hot springs
awaited us. We all stripped down to
bathers, still at minus temperatures and
entered the hot springs that bubble at
temperatures of around 40ºC – a
massive relief after the cold nights that
we had been experiencing. We had
allotted ourselves around 20 minutes of
time to relax in the ‘hot tub’, however
inevitably this ended up being closer to
40 minutes, obviously. As we plucked up
the courage to exit the relaxing water, we
readied for our next destination – Uyuni.
We arrived in Uyuni in the dark and as
the night drew to an end we settled down
in the luxury(?) of a local hostel, which
featured two (intermittent) toilets and a
shower which provided some water.
Now I come to think about it, maybe the
plumbing between the two were linked?
(I’ll leave you to think about that.)
Tomorrow’s task:
accommodation.
Find
alternative
Lewis Chapman
It was my day as leader today. The
previous evening I arranged with everyone
to meet down at the orphanage at 9 o’clock,
having brought their own breakfast on the
way. Everyone seemed to be on time today
surprisingly, maybe that was down to the
individual door knocking that I had to do to
make sure everyone was awake!
When we arrived, I split everyone into
groups. I got out the blue paint and some
people finished off painting the outside
walls. Some others carried on with the
sanding of the white walls; whilst others
painted the sanded white walls. I sent a
group of four challengers, led by Steph, to go
out and buy some coloured oil paints, so we
could start painting over the floor markings
of the sports courts in the courtyard area of
the orphanage. We could use one section of
the white wall to paint a mural, to include
whatever we wanted, so paint was brought
for this too. Sean led the mural team, and
they cracked on with a great design which
reflected the key features of Bolivia. Another
group started to wipe down the window
frame edges where some people (not naming
any names) may have
decided that they
too needed a splash of
blue paint! I must
admit, I found it
quite stressful making
sure everyone had
something to do, as
there were lots of little
jobs
today
to
complete, rather than
one main task, but
everyone
seemed
happy and got along
really well which
made it easier. We stopped for a well
deserved lunch at 12.30pm, where we
had soup and then an amazing main
course. The children gave out salad,
vegetables, mayonnaise and ketchup
for the centre of each table. Then
we each got given a plate with a
massive piece of breaded chicken
and rice. We were also treated
today with Fanta and Coke for
drinks! Due to this treat, we
were all a bit scared that they
may have thought today was
our final day at the orphanage, which
it wasn’t! After lunch, we carried on
working until tea which was supposed
to be at 4.30pm. After waiting for a
while, we were told that it would be
another 20 mins as the children were
making us cookies! I asked Alan, the child
psychiatrist who spoke English, what he
wanted us to do tomorrow, to check they
knew we were coming for one more day!
The cookies were delicious. After tea,
everyone was tired so we packed everything
away. For our evening meal, everyone sorted
themselves out with their share of the group
money so the responsibility for spends was
shared. Overall, I feel that I managed as
leader, but was definitely ready to pass on
the leader pack to Leah by the end of the
day!
Lizzie Price
65
During my day as team leader we were
volunteering at the orphanage in Uyuni.
The day before we started to paint the
walls of the orphanage so during my day
we continued to do so whist the children
were at school. I also had the job of
buying train tickets for all of the team to
get back to La Paz at the end of the
week. Whilst the team were painting,
myself and a few others went to the train
station to buy them. On one of the walls
was a series of different murals and as a
team we sanded them down and added a
design of our own. Later on when the
children had finished school they
prepared and served us our lunch which
was very kind. The most common dish
was chip soup which was surprisingly
tasty. I really enjoyed
my time at the
orphanage, teaching
them games and
even losing to them
at sport! Our final
day with them was
particularly special
when they taught us
a
dance,
and
performed a show
for us which they
had prepared. After
the show, we all
danced together for
a while, sharing our different dance
moves!
For all of us who embarked on taking on Bolivia In the
summer of 2014, our World Challenge started long before
we boarded the plane at Heathrow. It started way back in
January of the previous year when all challengers started
to take ownership of their expedition by attending
destination and itinerary meetings and planning the finer
details of exactly who, what, and where we, as a group,
would visit in Bolivia. Ideas then quickly turned to
planning and organising fundraising activities to pay for
things like transport to and from the airport as well as
individual fundraising activities to help cover the cost of
the expedition. Preparation also took the form of spending
a night in -5 degrees Celsius in the middle of the Forest of
Dean in mid-February as part of our preparation
weekend! This camping experience encouraged team
bonding and developed the essential practical skills for
expedition life like risk management, hygiene, safety
scenarios, cooking and camp craft. The days until
departure literally flew by and before we knew it ‘Build up
day’ had arrived and only 24 hours remained until we
boarded the plane at Heathrow, ready to take on one of the
most amazing destinations in the world.
Bolivia is a country synonymous with adventure and this
was true from stepping foot off the plane in La Paz (the
world’s highest capital city 3,650m above sea level) until
66
For our dinner I gave the team a set
amount of money to spend each and we
ate out in a restaurant in Uyuni. I was
nervous at first to lead the team, but
when I did, I was happy that it wasn’t as
hard as I thought it would be and I was
proud I had done it. The experience of
leading, along with the whole expedition
has improved my independence a lot,
and I look forward to travelling in the
future.
Leah Bradshaw
take off on the flight back to Miami. The strong
indigenous culture runs right through the very fabric of
Bolivia - it is a rich tapestry of history of the ancient
civilization combined with its 21st century title of a global
city. The itinerary we undertook in Bolivia was, literally,
incredible - from the hustle and bustle of La Paz, to the
vast expanse of Lake Titicaca, the breath-taking Salts Flats
to the south, the Bolivian desert and the very humbling
experience of working in an orphanage in Uyuni, meeting
the amazing children who called it home. For me, the
highlight of the expedition lay in the spectacular vistas of
mountains, glaciers and lakes as we trekked along the
Cordillera Traverse's high-altitude trails, and I was lucky
enough to be part of a team of challengers who scaled Pico
Austria, and took in uninterrupted, panoramic views from
its 5,335m summit.
As a team of challengers, everyone conquered their
summit. For some it was raising the substantial amount of
funds needed to undertake such a trip and for others it was
being challenged both physically and mentally in ways that
many had not anticipated, but one thing is for sure it is a
trip that will live long in the memory of students and staff
alike, and one that I am immensely privileged to have been
a part of.
Mr Murphy
Young Ambassadors
This year at MCS we have launched the Young Ambassador
Programme with the aim of supporting the Sport Wales mission
to get ‘Every child hooked on sport for life’.
The Programme at the school aims to empower and inspire
young people to become role models and leaders through sport,
by developing their confidence and skills in order to increase
physical participation in others. This approach will empower
young people to make their own decisions through
consultation, leadership and ownership.
The students were selected following recommendation by their
PE teachers for showing excellent leadership and
encouragement in lessons and extracurricular activities.
Our Young Ambassadors (Luke Rees - South East Wales Platinum
Ambassador, Ellis Brown, Olivia Wells, Ellie Johnson, Jake Coombe,
Alice Livesey, Bailey Grant, Natalie Davies - Platinum Ambassador
and YA Intern) are now working towards the following agenda:
• Increase healthy lifestyles and participation in physical
activity in their school
• To promote the positive values of sport in and through sport
• To be an ambassador and role-model advocating PE and
school sport
• To be the young person's voice on PE and school sport in our
schools and communities
• Bring the inspiration of major sporting events to schools and
communities e.g. London 2012, Glasgow 2014
• To get every child hooked on sport for life!
They have recently conducted a school survey where it become
evident that disability Sports are not promoted in the School. As
a result they decided this would be their focus for the summer
term.
They have attended a Disability Sport training Course, and
applied for a £500 grant to spend on equipment.
Olivia and Bailey presented to a Dragons Den style panel for the
money, they were persuasive and emphasised how they would
use the money in an inclusive Sport festival to promote and
encourage sports such as Boccia and Archery.
They will be running inclusive sports clubs in the Sports Hall at
break times.
Fencing Academy
Monmouth Comprehensive School Fencing Academy has had a very positive
year. Numbers have remained steady at around 14 members, with five of
those attending Team Melia Cymru FC outside school for extra training. Of
these, four have competed at Welsh Events throughout the year.
Joe Smith attended a pre-season training
camp in France - La Rochelle - and
thoroughly enjoyed his second trip, stepping
up as one of our seniors and really improving
his standard through the week.
The season’s results from the competitive
fencers have been pleasing this year. At the
Welsh Youth Foil 2014, Joe Smith and Iwan
Hazlewood took Bronze medals in the U16
Foil, whilst Alex Smith took Bronze in the
U12 Foil. In the Welsh Youth Epée, Iwan took
a Silver Medal in his new discipline.
The Spring Term of 2015 saw us entering the
BritishYouth Championships Regional Qualifiers
at both Foil and Epée, where Iwan won the
Epée competition, qualifying for the Finals in
May, and came 5th in the Foil, losing to the
silver medallist. He was the only MCS fencer
to attend these two competitions. We wish him
luck at the BYC Finals in a few weeks.
Iwan also attended a refereeing course and is well
on the way to qualifying as a referee this term.
This summer, there is an opportunity for the
fencers to attend a training camp in Hungary,
and to train with Olympic Silver Medallist
Alaaeldin Abouelkassem.
67
Monmouth’s Got Talent &
Junior Monmouth’s Got Talent
Fundraising for Home-Start and The Monmouth Defibrillator Fund
Thea Ward and Jack Whittaker
An important part of the whole process running
up to the MGT Final was Junior Monmouth’s
Got Talent. Students from Monmouth’s
primary schools - Kymin View, Overmonnow,
Osbaston, The Grange and Inglefield House took part in the contest, before the Senior Final
took place in March. The Final of this event
was judged by two MCS Sixth Form Officials,
the Head Boy and Head Girl of Monmouth
School and HMSG and the Mayor, Jane Gunter.
The evening of the JMGT Final was busy,
exciting and very entertaining. Talents ranged
from singing and dancing to rapping and circus
skills! The winners of Junior Monmouth’s Got
Talent - a group of students from The Grange,
who impressed us all with their circus skills went on to perform on the stage at The Blake
Theatre at the Final of Monmouth’s Got Talent.
Having been to Monmouth’s Got Talent
in previous years, we all knew how much
work was needed to plan and put on
such a celebrated event in Monmouth’s
calendar.
The challenge of putting on an event as
large and as well-known as Monmouth’s
Got Talent was more than worth it,
knowing that the money raised would
make a significant and lasting difference
to many people’s lives.
Our search for talented students began
before Christmas, and we were very
impressed with the amount of interest
we received. Our sign-up up sheet
showed that we had an exciting and
interesting set of auditions ahead of us,
with a very difficult decision to be made
at the end of them. The audition process
revealed a wide range of talents hiding
among our school’s students.
We saw more than twenty people at the
audition including singers and musical
duos and, for the very first time in this
competition, an accordion player. We put
through 12 musical acts to the SemiFinal, which took place at MCS. To
make the tough decision on who to put
through for the Final, the four of us
(Michael, Emily, Jack and myself), were
joined by guest judge, Holly Hall,
Deputy Head Girl of Haberdashers
Monmouth School for Girls.
The Semi-Final performances were
beautiful, moving and accomplished,
making the final decision very difficult
and bringing the judges to the brink of
an argument as we chose our four acts.
The MCS finalists were singers Alice
Gable and Lucy Merrett, duo George
68
Baynes and Taylor Brown and accordion
player Harry Lloyd, who went on to
compete against eight acts from
Monmouth School and HMSG at the
exciting final at the Blake Theatre.
Thea
Whilst the evening didn’t start at The
Blake Theatre until 7pm, our work
started at 3pm, setting everything up.
During this hectic time we needed to
host a technical rehearsal for the acts,
ensuring that the acts were comfortable
with performing and the audio levels
were okay. We were then hard at work
organising the raffle, reserved tickets,
and refreshments to ensure the evening
went as smoothly as possible. Showtime
arrived and The Blake was packed with
people, all eager to see the high calibre of
The intermission brought a flurry of
sales of refreshments and raffle tickets
with every penny increasing the total
raised.
talent that was on show. To start the
show, we had the winners of Junior
Monmouth’s got Talent, a group of boys
from The Grange, performing with
Diablos and Unicycles. The performance
was very interesting to watch and we
hope the talented group of boys carry
their success through to secondary school!
Before we could get started with the
main event, it was important to
introduce the judging panel; a former
Monmouth Girl’s school student who
went on to study dance, Mrs Gunter,
Mayor of Monmouth, Mr Les Modget,
Monmouth Festival Chair, and
Mrs K Hagg, the Head of the
Home-Start branch in Monmouth, who
took the opportunity to play a short
video showing how Home-Start
supports local communities.
The curtain rose on the first half and, as
Deputy Heads, we took turns going into
the theatre to watch the performances,
ensuring that everything was in order for
the intermission, including refreshments
and the raffle. Personal highlights from
the acts I managed to sneak a peek at
included the interesting and full
sounding solo performance from Lucy
Merrett on her guitar and loop pedal,
which really brought something else to
the competition. The duo of George
Baynes and Taylor Brown also stood out
in the first half, with their soulful and
melodic rendition of ‘Better together’ by
Jack Johnson bringing a positive
atmosphere to The Blake.
As everyone settled back into their seats,
the second half was underway - again I
only managed to spot certain acts, but
highlights included Harry Lloyd (whose
pop melody on the Accordion left the
audience totally speechless after such a
display of unorthodox, high quality
talent) and Alice Gable (whose unique
voice and guitar style left a lasting
impression on the judges and the
Runner-up was another MCS student,
Lucy Merrett, who the judges said
created ‘her own innovative music’. The
winner was announced as Max Weeden,
from Monmouth School whose medley
of intricate and complex guitar pieces,
from the Flight of the Bumblebee to the
Family Guy theme song, led the judges
to summarise his performance by
claiming that ‘He could play that Guitar!’.
I feel all of the acts should be proud of
themselves, especially those from MCS,
who not only managed to secure second
and third in the main competition, but
displayed the high standard of talent that
our school can produce.
Jack
audience). With the second act over, the
judges left to deliberate over the talent
they had seen, and
come to a conclusion
on who was to win the
grand prize of playing
at Monmouth Festival.
Whilst they were hard
at work trying to make a
decision, it was up to us
to
announce
the
winners of the raffle.
With all of the prizes
donated by businesses
in town, including a
tray of no18 brownies
and four bottles of wine
courtesy of Prego’s
Italian, it was nice to see
the local businesses in
Monmouth supporting
the event and making a
few lucky audience
members very, very
happy.
After the raffle, the
judges were ready to
make
their
final
decision. In third place
was Alice Gable who,
the
judges
said,
impressed them with
her ‘strong voice and
guitar combination’.
It was decided by the Committee that the
money raised by MGT would be donated to
two incredible causes; Home-Start
Monmouth and Monmouth’s fund to equip
the town with two defibrillators. HomeStart works with volunteers offering
friendship and practical help to families
struggling to cope with day-to-day life and
have at least one child under the age of five.
Ticket sales and the raffle raised around
£2,300 pounds for the chosen charities.
MONNOW CYCLES
Bicycle Service & Repairs
69
Iceland Explored
Day 1
Our journey began at the eye watering
time of 3:30am, joining the other
students and waiting for the teachers
and the bus at the bus bay. We loaded
our gear onto the bus and waved
goodbye, full of excitement for our
adventures ahead. When we arrived at
the airport, we checked in and made
our way through security, stopping to
have breakfast where Mr Curnow
dropped his coffee all over the floor!
This, and the fact that Dr Connern was
absent, made us late to the plane as the
final call was being made! After this
drama, and a three hour flight, we safely
arrived at Keflavik airport where we
met our tour guide and bus driver for
the duration of our trip. We then
proceeded to travel to the Blue Lagoon,
a geothermal spa, admiring the
stunning scenery on our way. It was an
amazing experience and we didn't want
to get out!!
Once, out, we had lunch in the posh
restaurant. It was awesome! Wrapped
up warm, we made our way to the bus
to go to Reykjavik, the capital city, for
shopping. There, we enjoyed some tasty
ice cream before heading to our hotel,
Hotel Cabin. On arrival at the hotel, we
found it to be packed with other
schools. We checked in and headed off
to our room to sort ourselves out before
dinner where there was a wide range of
food on offer. After dinner, we had
some free time where we could chill in
the hotel, before heading to bed, which
was well needed.
Day 2
After waking up and heading to
breakfast, we proceeded to leave to tour
around the Golden Circle. First stop
was Thingvellir National Park, where
you can see the plate boundaries of the
North American and Eurasian plates.
We walked through the plate boundary,
taking in the outstanding views. Next
stop was Gullfoss, a massive waterfall,
where two waterfalls meet. After
absorbing the beauty of such a site, we
headed to lunch there where we had a
traditional Icelandic lunch. Jago
managed to cut his finger with a butter
knife! After lunch, we drove to the
geysers, a spring of water characterised
by a huge discharge of water. We spent
time wandering around, observing the
Geysers in action. Following this, we
went to a crater where we collected
volcanic rock. Our final stop of the day
found us at Hellisheidi Geothermal
Power Plant where we saw a video on
geothermal energy in Iceland and the
inside of the power plant, where it stank
of sulphur! Driving back to the hotel,
we stopped off at the local hospital for
Jago and then it was back to the hotel,
where we had dinner and chilled in the
hotel. After our busy day, we went to
bed and stayed up late chatting.
Day 3
After waking up 10 minutes before
breakfast, we rolled out of bed and went
to breakfast in our pyjamas. We sang
‘Happy Birthday’ to Jess as it was her
18th birthday and then found ourselves
locked out of our room as we had
locked the keys inside! We quickly
prepared ourselves for the wet and
rainy day ahead and left the hotel for
Skogar, one of many waterfalls.
Mr Curnow almost fell over on the ice
leading to the waterfall. It was hilarious!
From Skogar, we travelled to
Reynisfjara, a black sand beach with
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famous volcano Eyjafallajokull, where
we saw a video on the famous eruption
of 2010 and the effect on a family who
lived in the vicinity of the volcano. We
spoke to a woman who witnessed the
eruption. Following this, we went to
Seljandsfoss waterfall, where the
weather took a turn for the worse, but
that didn't stop us admiring the
waterfall.
basalt columns. Not going to the sea, we
observed this wonderful phenomenon.
We traveled to the local town of Vik for
lunch and shopping then on to the
Driving back towards Reykjavik, we
stopped at a shopping centre where we
went in an earthquake simulator, which
simulated an earthquake of 6.5 on the
Richter scale. It's safe to say we
screamed, a lot, in particular Becky!
This was not the end of our day. We
arrived back at the hotel to get ready for
bowling that evening. At the bowling
alley, we had pizza, ice cream and cake.
Bowling was very competitive,
especially amongst the teachers;
Brother Curnow, Sister Fry and Papa
Connern! Back at the hotel, we had
time to chill and start to pack. We
skyped members of our families and
proceeded to go to bed.
Day 4
This was a sad day for all involved.
After getting up for breakfast at 6.30am,
we ensured that everything was packed
and headed onto the bus, where certain
members of the group slept all the way
to the airport. We had plenty of time to
spend our last Kronas and head to the
gate. We boarded the plane set for
home. The arrival in the UK was a sad
moment as we realised our adventures
in Iceland had come to an end. After
regaining the back of the bus we settled
down for our journey back to Monmouth,
looking through the many photos we
had taken. Our parents were there
greeting us on our arrival back at school.
We only wished the trip was longer but
it was an unforgettable four days
exploring Iceland. We would love to go
back for more Viking adventures!
Thank you Mrs Fry, Mr Curnow and
Dr Connern for organising this incredible
experience!! We are gutted we will not
be here for next years trip to Italy!!
Becky Large, Sarah Arnett
and Jess Scrivin,Y13
Sculpture Workshop
“Participating in the Sculpture Workshop was the most
enjoyable art lesson I have ever had at school because we were
allowed to express our style of art work in our own way.”
“Making the art sculptures allowed us to design and express
our style individually; it was nice to see how classmates’
final outcomes differed in style.”
“A very different and modern way of working opened our eyes
as to what art means to other people outside the classroom.”
“Creating the sculptures allowed us to explore using a different
way of working whilst expressing our own individual styles.”
“The Sculpture Workshop was a whole new and very different
style of art work that really allowed us to express ourselves.”
“The Sculpture Workshop was amazing.
It opened my eyes to a weird and wonderful new art form
I had no idea existed. The activity was fun and
I learnt a lot because of it.”
“The Workshop was a refreshing break to the normal working
dynamic. Expression, experimentation and individualism shone
through, amounting to creative final pieces.
It was a fun, enjoyable experience.”
71
5x60 / Academy Programme at MCS
Monmouth Comprehensive School runs a thriving programme of extra-curricular sporting activities
which is delivered as part of the PE Department, 5x60 and Academy programmes. The 5x60 and
Academy programme aims to provide a wide range of opportunities for all students within the school.
As a national programme through Sport Wales, 5x60 tries to expose students to activities that
traditionally will not be found in the curriculum and focuses on increasing participation to get young
people ‘hooked on sport’.
The details below show how the programme has grown over recent years and how many more students are now participating
in at least one of these sessions every week. We are well on track for record attendances this year with the Summer Term
attendances still to be recorded.
Academic Year
Total Number of Attendances
% of Students taking part in a
5x60 / Academy Session
2012-2013
8,499
32.69%
2013-2014
11,458
40.19%
2014-2015
9,751
41.41%
(Autumn & Spring Term Only)
Introducing activities such as Kayaking, Indoor Rowing, Handball, Table Tennis and Virtual Spin has seen more students taking
part and enjoying sport which is our primary aim. Add to this specific Academy sessions such as Fencing, Water Polo, Tae Kwon
Do, Street Dance and Equine and there really is something for everyone. Students will be completing a School Sport Survey
during the summer term based around their opinions on school sport. Following completion of this, the 5x60 and Academy
programme will be looked at to see if there are any sports our students want to do that we are not currently offering. This
ongoing programming is essential to keep students engaged, enjoying what we can offer and supporting the fantastic work
the PE Department do.
The 5x60 programme has also seen students in the school delivering activities, gaining experience and coaching qualifications.
This leadership is essential to provide wider skills and develop excellent student links. Our Young Ambassador Programme will
support this and continue the work that has already been implemented.
If you can think of any activities that are currently not offered by the school or you are interested in volunteering in sport please
contact our Community and Sport Development Officer, Paul Sullivan ([email protected]).
72
Restorative Award
On Tuesday 9th September, Monmouth Comprehensive School was paid a
visit by some special visitors: Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner,
Ian Johnston, the Chief Executive Officer of the Restorative Justice Council and
the Welsh Assembly Member for Monmouth, Nick Ramsay.
and staff, allowing us all to develop
and succeed - academically, socially,
emotionally and physically.
This was to be a very important day for
MCS as we were going to be the first
secondary school in the UK to be
awarded the Restorative Justice Council’s
Quality Standards Mark.
The award is to recognise the work done
by the school to ensure that we have a
strong relationships between students
Students have been asked to take into
consideration the ways in which their
actions can have an effect on the
teaching staff. Together, as a school, we
have been able to strengthen the
restorative approach and become a
tighter community as we begin to
understand one another.
The restorative process has gone from
strength to strength and although there
were worries at the beginning, we have
now come to the point where we are
able to use the approach in a classroom
setting as well as in our own personal
lives. Across the school, relationships
have
strengthened
and
some
relationship breakdowns, which some
believed could never have been restored,
have been put back together.
The restorative approach has had a
hugely positive effect on the school as a
whole, and together we hope that we
can continue this and make our school
even better.
Bethan Edwards, 12TY
73
The Royal Marines
Earlier this year, Monmouth Comprehensive School was delighted to host the Band
of Her Majesty’s Commando Training Centre Royal Marines.
The day was a huge success, with
over 150 students taking part in
workshops throughout the morning.
It was the experience of a lifetime for
students to be able to sit alongside the
Marine’s Concert Band, String
Quartet and Function Band. The
feedback about the MCS young
musicians was incredible with the Sgt
in Charge of Strings commenting
that they had not seen a String
Orchestra like it on all their school
visits and compared them to the elite
from across schools in England. He
commended their ability, their
ensemble skills and focus. It really
was a pleasure to watch.
74
To see all in the Dining Hall dancing to the Marine’s
Function Band over lunch was fantastic, with both staff and
students enjoying the music. To end the day, close to 400
students were given a talk on the career opportunities
available through the Royal Marine’s Commando Training
Music School and Band, inspiring many students to decide to
follow music further as a career.
The concert that followed was superb - students and staff
were blown away by the Corps of Drums and left school
with a big smile on their faces. Two talented students
were invited to perform in the concert band - Rory Gordon
on trumpet and Josie Evans on trombone - which was a
wonderful experience for them both.
Mrs Ritter, Subject Leader for Music, took the opportunity to
thank the Band of Her Majesty’s Commando Training Centre
Royal Marines for giving students this wonderful opportunity
to work with professional musicians - “It was a fantastic day”
she said “Our students were inspired and motivated by this
experience”.
75
Austria 2014-2015
This was the second time I have
been to Austria with MCS and it
was the best week I’ve had in ages.
I was in the advanced ski group but the trip
provides for all levels of skiers/snowboarders.
Our days out on the slopes were amazing and a
lot of lessons were learned over the week by
everyone but I think the hardest thing was to get
enough sleep at night to ensure we woke up
early to start the next day!
The evening activities were great and we all
laughed our heads off every night.
I would definitely go on the ski trip again and I
recommend it to anyone considering it for
2016.
An amazing trip overall and I would like to send
a massive thank you to Mr Williams and the rest
of the staff who came with us.
Ellie Williams, 10HF
76
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77
Lower Sixth Interview Skills Workshop
- Summer Learning Week
On the Tuesday of Summer Learning Week,
we were visited by a group of lecturers from
Cardiff Metropolitan University, who taught
us a variety of essential skills and tips to use
for interviews.
This, in turn, helped us gain an even more detailed insight
into the interviewing process.
In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to put what we had
learned into practice in a mock interview held by the
lecturers. To all intents and purposes, this mock interview
was treated just like a real interview. All of us were respected
and considered as adults, and the lecturers were informative,
direct and honest.
The day began with a series of activities relating to the
courses we wanted to pursue, as well as touching on the
subject of our strengths and weaknesses which proved
challenging. It also shed light on the workings behind
interviews such as looking at the three main points to take
into consideration in an interview; our strengths and
weaknesses, open-ended questions and questions for the
interviewer. For our strengths, we chose from an array of
adjectives, three that we thought best described us. We
followed this up by analysing each and their relevance as a
strength in an interview. After that, we did the same for
weaknesses, however we were to choose a negative adjective
and 'flip' it - making a positive out of a negative. For example,
if we chose the adjective 'indecisive', then we would 'flip' it so
that instead of being unable to make a definite decision, it
would mean that we would look at all options available and
weigh them up.
To round off the morning, the lecturers presented us with a
multitude of example questions which we had to sort
through and decide which were ideal to ask in an actual
interview. There were also several 'bad' questions, such as:
‘I'm worried I might struggle - how many people fail?’
In these cases, we then changed them into more suitable
formats, while still retaining the original intention of the
question, for example:
‘What support do teachers offer in case I feel like I'm struggling?’
78
We thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, and we can definitely
say that it's helped prepare us for real interviews, whether it's
for university or a job.
We would like to thank the lecturers of Cardiff Metropolitan
University for an informative day - they been a great help to
all of us who were involved. We would also like to extend our
gratitude to everyone else involved in the organisation of the
workshop.
Today has been a huge success and will only
help us in further interviews.
Callum Wheatley
I feel that this day has enlightened me.
Michaela Bowen
It’s helped me feel more prepared for University.
Chloe Miller
It has really benefited me for the future and I'm really
grateful for being able to take part in this workshop.
Annie Pell
I think that it was a great opportunity for students to have
a very realistic formal interview and then be able to discuss
and evaluate their performance so that when they do it for
real, they can give their best possible interview.
Mr Price,
Metropolitan University
Work Experience
For my work experience placement I went
to Total Look Salon, Monmouth. Total
Look don’t normally take students for
work experience but I went in and asked
and I had a mini interview with one of the
stylists, Beccie.
A few weeks later they got in touch with
me and asked me to take in a CV, saying
they would contact me again. They said
that I would have to go for two interviews
as they were treating it as if I was applying
for a job. I handed my CV in and, two
weeks later, I had a letter asking if I would
like to come in for an interview which I
did, following up with a second one a week
later.
They asked many questions such as what
my hobbies were, why I was interested in
hair and beauty and why I would be
suitable for the job. Finally, they said I
could go to Total Look for the week to do
my work experience.
It was great there - I got to do a lot more
than I had expected such as shampooing,
helping with perms and taking colours off
as well as simple things like sweeping up,
taking phone calls, arranging appointments
and taking money!
After my work experience finished they
offered me an apprenticeship and I have
now been working at Total Look for a few
months and it’s been brilliant. In the
holidays I work full-time and during term
time I do Friday evenings and Saturdays. I
now have my own training head and
combs; also I have started blow drying and
natural drys. Pat, my boss, is very
encouraging and the other girls who work
there are lovely and loads of fun!
I will be leaving school this year and going
straight there to start my training in cutting
and, hopefully, be going down to London
to Sassoon’s, just like the other girls, if I am
lucky!
Phoebe Bailey
I was lucky enough to visit Bri-mel Farm in
Okotoks, near Calgary in Canada for my
work experience. The Farm is owned by
relatives so this was a great
opportunity for me to carry out my
work experience further afield. I
couldn’t go in the usual work
experience period in November as
Okotoks would be knee-deep in
snow, so I went the last two weeks in
August 2014.
Leaving Heathrow at 1 pm, I arrived
in Calgary 11 hours later, straight in to a
full day of work, having gained eight hours
on the way. Whilst at the Farm I learned
how to drive the tractor, helped clear up
Coast then down the coast and back across
the US.
Euan Gillespie, 11JM
200 bales of hay from the fields and got
acquainted with the horses.
The first three days of work experience
saw me getting up at 6am and joining my
cousins feeding the horses,
cleaning out the stables
and working out in the
fields.
We visited a horse show in
Edmonton where my
cousins both competed in
a dressage competition.
Michelle won her category
and her daughter Megan
came second in hers.
The rest of the work
experience was taken up with exercising
the horses, both the show horses and the
horses on livery at the ranch which meant
three of us taking out a total of 45 horses
each day. Every day three of us had
to groom the horses for 20 minutes
and then clean the saddles and
bridles after each riding session –
fortunately it was usually one saddle
per five horses or we’d have been in
the stable all night!
Calgary is the home of the Calgary
Stampede which takes place every
July and although this was August, I
still saw cowboys in full attire in the
local Walmart – Stetsons and all!!
At the end of the two weeks, we
visited Bamf, taking a four hour
hike to the top of Johnston’s Canyon in
Bamf National Park – the second highest
point of the Rockies – which gave us an
amazing view. Surprisingly, there was no
snow on our route but plenty
to be seen on the peaks
surrounding us.
I didn’t suffer too much from
jetlag in Canada but on my
return it took me about four
days to adjust - including a
full 16 hour period of sleep !!!
I had an amazing time for my
work experience and look forward to going
back after my time in Sixth Form. I would
like to work my way from the East side of
Canada, over to Vancouver on the West
I spent a week at Nimbus Records, the
music recording company in Wyastone for
my work experience.
While I was there I was able to work in the
main office as well as visit the recording
studios and help out, making and
packaging CDs. The whole
workplace was completely chilled
with a lot of really friendly people
and an office dog – plus there was
unlimited tea!
Of course, some days did consist
of simply inputting data into
spreadsheets but on other days I
was able to help out in
extraordinary situations. I spent
one day in the manufacturing
Department where I was shown
how to make and shrink wrap CDs and the
next day I was able to go down to the
concert hall and play a Steinway piano!
I think the best day I had was when I was
able to sit in and listen to
an actual live recording
that took place in the
studios. I spoke to the tech
crew as well as the
performers
and
I
experienced the music
first
hand.
It
was
incredible. I really did
learn a lot from my week
at Nimbus Records, it was
an amazing experience.
Charlotte Edge, 11SL
Other interesting
placements included:
James Oubridge - Abu Dhabi
National Hotel Group
Georgia Savoie - runner for Films@59
Wulf Scouller - The American History
Museum in Britain
Dan Waterstone - building a robot at
Sheffield University Robotics Lab
Caleb England - brewers assistant at
Kingstone Brewery
Georgina Haycock - horse behaviour
training at Your Horse & Pony Matters
79
Notre Voyage Français!
Bonjour my fellow students! In this
article I will be telling you about
Year 7’s “fantastique” French trip.
Going on the French trip was a very
exciting opportunity for everyone to learn
new things, taste new food and get to grips
with French culture and tradition.
The lodging that we were staying at was a
grand building called Le Château! To reach
Le Château we had to get on a coach,
which would take us to a ferry (six hours)
to go across the channel (a further hour
and a half) to France. When
we finally got to Le
Château we were all
exhausted from travelling
for such a long time and we
thought we could relax in
our room for a while… but
we were wrong as we were
dragged out to do activities
(oh, the horror!).
Our first full day at Le
Château was very exciting
but
it
started
off
sssslllloooowww… We crawled out of our
dorms but there was no time to throw aside
the covers and greet the day with a smile
because we were all desperately
concentrating on how to put one foot in
80
(Our French Trip!)
front of the other, we were
so tired! We went into the
food hall (slowly) where we
were greeted by the fresh
delicious smell of FBC,
(freshly-baked-croissants).
We were all ravenous so we
ate with gusto! We had
barely any time to lick the
pastry from our fingers
before we all got whisked
out to listen to stories from
our guide. Personally, I
adored the stories and was
captivated by all of them, unfortunately my
fellow group just wanted to go to the
market (the notion of some people!). We
finally got to the Rue Market and my
group were squealing with excitement at all
the assorted goodies ‘cough’ loom bands
and sweets ‘cough’ While
they all squabbled about
who got sweets first, I took
this opportunity to buy
some honey for dad and
some cola for myself! But
enough about me, let`s get
on with the second activity!
The second activity was
very exciting, as we all piled
into the coach to go to our
second destination, the
chocolate factory! When we
got there, we were welcomed by the sweet
smell of chocolate, wafting from the little
wooden building in front of us. We
crowded down the walkway to this big,
white room filled with chocolate!
White
chocolate,
dark chocolate, milk
chocolate, you name
it, it was there. A
French man came in
to explain to all of us
how
they
make
chocolate and give us
a few facts, e.g:
dark chocolate is
extremely good for
your arteries. After he
By Adam Arnett
had shown us how to make it
(and cleaned up our saliva
from the floor) he led us into
the gift shop where we were
greeted by rows and rows of
chocolate! There were also
some cocoa beans in the
corner, which we could take
for free and try. No one liked
them at all, even though they
had only had a nibble! The
only person who liked them
was my brother, who gorged
on them and took some
home, (typical!)
Now we move onto our last activity of the
day, The Snail Farm! As we rushed off the
bus we were greeted by a quaint little café
with a women standing in front of it. The
woman was very nice and took us around
the back to take a look at the ‘escargots’
*ahem* snails in their pen. There were
huge planks of wood on the ground and
underneath were hundreds and hundreds
of snails; the snails were encircled in a wire
mesh with electric fencing around it (just
in case there was a mass snail breakout!)
We found out the snails loved rhubarb and
only moved around a lot at night. She then
took out some snails for us to hold - they
were really slimy and icky! We were then
shown a slideshow on how the snail dishes
were prepared - turns out they made snail
biscuits, snail pate and snail jam. We then
got to the best bit of the visit, TASTING!
They all tasted really nice and I would have
bought some if I hadn’t forgotten my
wallet!! Oops.
The next day, we were told to get up bright
and early to get to the last activity I’m sure
everyone was looking forward to, Parc
Asterix! The biggest, some might say best,
theme park in France. When we got there,
we were gobsmacked at all the rides; water
rides, loop-the-loop rides, wooden rides
and chute rides!! We had a healthy four
hours of rocking rollercoasters before we
had to go back to Le Château for dinner,
(which was steak with a side serving of
frogs legs and snails!) Next morning we
packed up our stuff and clambered onto
the bus to go back home.
It was, in my opinion, the best school trip
ever! Here are some other opinions from
Ellis and Harry:
Harry, “I really enjoyed the French trip, my
favourite activity was Parc Asterix with all
those fantastic rides and attractions!’”
Ellis, “I loved the French trip, my favourite
activity was Parc Asterix!”
All in all it was an amazing experience and,
before I go, let`s give a round of applause
to all the teachers who helped arrange the
trip, they must be exhausted.
This is Adam Arnett, signing off!
French Debate
Three of our Y13 French Students Ellie Clutton, Annie Pell and Kelly Dixon, were
runners up in a debate on “Reality TV” competing against Crickhowell, HMSG and
Monmouth Boys. They were victorious in their 1st round against Crickhowell and
represented the school with confidence, fluency and convincing arguments.
Well done girls!
Wolfstone
Translation
In February, a Y9 MFL group participated in a translation workshop provided by Silke
Lührmann of Wolfestone Translation Ltd. Students were asked to watch an advert in
German and translate the meaning and then attempt to rebrand this company in English.
All students found the experience motivating and cannot stop singing the advert for a
German supermarket ! The Faculty look forward to inviting Silke to work with our Sixth
form linguists on translation too, in preparation for their exams.
My experience at MCS
My name is Susi Schult and I work as a teacher in Celle which is located in Northern Germany.
I had the great pleasure of being a guest at Monmouth Comprehensive School for two weeks in March. The purpose of my visit was
to get new ideas for my own school as well as the development of the school system in Lower Saxony in general.
My impression is that Monmouth Comprehensive is an exceptionally good school as far as
school structure and teaching approaches are concerned. I really do like the idea that
`everyone matters’. Teachers are very dedicated and professional in dealing with mixedability groups.
I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of staff as well as students, who explained to me how
the school works. I was also able to observe a variety of different lessons and talk to different
teachers.
I would like to thank everyone who gave me the opportunity to get an insight into the school.
Everybody I met made me feel very welcome. Very special thanks go to Ms Snook who was
looking after me very kindly and to Mr Davies who is the most amazing Headteacher I have
ever met (sorry Mr Davies, I know this has embarrassed you!)
I can’t wait until students visit my school in Celle.
Auf Wiedersehen and Tschüss.
Susi E. Schult
81
Sports Literacy Competition
Newport Dragons Visit
by Benedict Pask-Williams, 7AH
On Wednesday 17th December I went to Newport to
interview the Dragons Rugby team where I met Owen Evans.
Owen Evans is a prop in the Newport Gwent Dragons. We
were able to interview him and ask him some questions.
One of the first questions that I asked him was “What is your
most memorable moment and why?” He said that his most
memorable moment was his first game when he scored two
tries. I also asked him who he was friendly with on the team
and he said “Nathan Buck”.
Evans was also asked whether he has any superstitions and
routines that he follows when playing rugby. He said that his
superstition is that he always puts his rugby boots on in a
certain order; right boot on first, then his left boot and then
he ties his right laces and then his left.
Evans described his worst injury as the time that he tore a
ligament in his knee and his leg was just hanging loosely. He
said that one of the most embarrassing moments in his
careers was when he had his shorts pulled down on the
rugby field!
I learnt that Owen Evans started playing rugby when he was
eight years old. He originally wanted to be a football player
but he kept getting sent off for tackling, so his dad got him
to play rugby instead.
The one thing that Owen Evans said that happens to all
rugby players is that they all develop a superstition and that
nerves affect them all.
FACT FILE
Name:
Owen Evans
Weight:
119kg / 18st.
Age:
25
Height:
188cm / 6ft 2
Born:
19/02/1989
Clubs:
Cross Keys
Llandovery
Llanelli
Newport
Honours:
82
Wales U20
MCS Visits Newport County
by Katie Kilbourne
Recently I entered the Monmouth Comprehensive School
‘Sports Literacy’ competition. For this I had to write a
biography on a rugby or football player of my choice. I chose
to write about a woman called Casey Stoney, Captain of the
women’s England football team. I thought she would be an
interesting and different person to write about because a lot
of people think that most sport stars are male. I like to see
things from other points of view.
I found out that I had won the competition: two tickets to
see Newport County play and beat Stevenage on Saturday
13th December. I felt very pleased with myself as I wanted to
try something new and I succeeded.
Newport County played very well; they scored two goals in
the first half by striker Aaron O’Connor and defender, Darren
Jones. Aaron was sent off for a late challenge in the last five
minutes of the game. The final score was 2-0.
To my surprise, a trip had been organised for the Monday
after the weekend
match. It was to meet
and
interview
professional football
players from Newport
County AFC. Together
with the
other
competition winners
from various years, we
went to Newport
Stadium for the day.
We were given a tour
of their changing rooms, eating area, rehabilitation centre
and games room. After the tour we went over to the
Velodrome and had lunch. The Velodrome is an arena for
track cycling. It was massive and there were seats all around.
interviewed them, had good conversations and learnt a lot
about the players. It was a really good experience and I’m
glad I went. I can see you can achieve anything when you put
your mind to it! The trip was a new exciting experience for me.
After we ate, all of us went back to the Footballer’s relaxing
room and three of the players from the team joined us - Yan
Klukowski, Aaron O’Connor and Andy Sandell (captain). We
I suggest everyone should enter competitions, not necessarily
for the prize but for the experience. Try something new you
never know what could happen!
Interviewing the players:
Aaron O’Connor
Q: How do you feel
about women in
football?
A: I think it’s good.
They get more
recognition now
than they used
to get. I think everyone should have
equal rights.
Q: Have you always wanted to be a
football player?
A: Yes I have, I never really thought
about being anything else.
Q: What subjects did you enjoy at
school?
A: P.E, I.C.T, English – I really enjoy
reading. It was always important
for me to get an education just in
case football didn’t work out.
Q: Have you got a favourite book to
read?
A: I like sports related books, so my alltime favourite is ‘Gazza: My Story’,
which is Paul Gascoigne’s
autobiography.
Yan Klukowski
Q: Favourite
premiership
team
A: Liverpool,
haha!”
Q: What hobbies do you have apart
from football?
A: I enjoy playing different sports. I’m
always trying different ones out.”
Q: How do you feel about women in
football?
A: It’s grown a lot! There are some
fantastic players and the games now
have good T.V. exposure.
Q: What would you be doing if you
weren’t a footballer?
A: I always enjoyed school so I would
probably be a teacher, maybe P.E.
My wife is a P.E. teacher. Education
has always been important to me. I
made sure that I got my degree just
in case football didn’t work out.
Andy Sandell
Q: What hobbies
do you have?
A: I enjoy boxing,
cricket, looking
after my horses
and watching
sport on T.V.
Q: Have you always wanted to play
professional football?
A: No actually, when I was younger I
wanted to be a marine but I wasn’t
allowed because I had asthma!!
Q: What were your favourite subjects at
school?
A: Of course I liked P.E, I also enjoyed
doing Drama.
Newport County
Interviews
by Daniel Keane
Aaron O’Connor
Q: Who was your inspiration when you
were younger?
A: Paul Gascoigne. It is a shame that his
more recent behaviour means that he
is not really an inspiration for
youngsters today.
Q: What are you and your team’s
ambitions this season?
A: We definitely think that we can get
promoted into League 1. We are
currently sixth in the table which is in
the play-offs. We are three points off
automatic promotion so there is a
real belief that we can do it.
Q: What advice would you give to
young people who would like to be
professional footballers?
A: I would just say to make sure that
you try and give one hundred per
cent in every training session and
matches, and don’t give up. If you
are rejected by a club, don’t let your
confidence go but prove them wrong.
Q: Where is the best stadium that you
have ever played at?
A: Wembley: we were promoted into
the Football League in the play-off
final against Wrexham. We beat
them 1-0.
83
At the club the food they eat a lot
of is pasta and potatoes.
Yan is Polish.
Andy Sandell Fact-file
Andy Sandell
Q: Do you like the fame of being a footballer?
A: No, not at all. I hate it when I’m doing my shopping and
people want autographs and selfies. It makes me feel really
awkward.
Q: How long have you been at Newport?
A: This will be my third year at the club.
Q: How do you feel before a match?
A: I get nervous like everyone. Being nervous is normal; it just
shows how much you care about the game.
Q: Who’s the best player you’ve ever marked?
A: Adnan Januzaj, who plays for Manchester United, he is a
tremendous talent and one to watch for the future.
Yan Klukowski
Q: Who’s got the worst taste in fashion on the team?
A: Probably Andy Sandell. He wears these baggy jeans and old
man jumpers.
Q: Who’s the best at FIFA in your team?
A: Haha – probably Ismail Yakuba.
Q: What would you say to do if we make a mistake on a
football pitch?
A: Just put it to one side and forget about it. Even the best
players on the planet make mistakes; you wouldn’t be
normal if you didn’t make them.
Q: What formation do you and your team play?
A: We play 3-5-2 which is the formation that Manchester
United play. This allows us to play wing backs. This
formation hasn’t been very poplar over the years but now
top teams are using it.
Player Fact-files
by Hayden Morris
Yan Klukowski Fact-file
Yan played for Southampton Academy.
He started football at six years old.
His best friend at the club is Andy Sandell, the Captain.
At school Yan’s favourite subjects were P.E. and science.
Steven Gerard inspired Yan and it worked.
When Yan has retired he wants to be a teacher.
He wears Hypervenom boots.
The biggest team he has played against is Man United.
The hardest player Yan has gone up against is Adnan Januzaj.
84
He is the Captain.
The biggest stadium he has played
at is Wembley.
The best player he has come up
against is Didier Drogba.
He is a defender.
He has been at the club for three years.
He drives a BMW.
He wears Hypervenom boots.
Andy played for Bristol Rovers and he got £17.50 and one pint
per week.
The worst injury he has had was a broken foot.
Diego Maradona was the player who inspired Andy.
At the club his best friend is Yan Klukowski.
His wife has a horse business so when he retires he will work
with that business.
His favourite subject in school was drama.
One of his hobbies is cricket.
He supports Tottenham Hotspur.
The hardest team he has played against is Chelsea.
Vocational
As exams draw near and we come to the end of another successful round of
Vocational provision with Coleg Gwent and ISA Training, it is time to celebrate
the wonderful achievements of our Year 11 students.
Having worked so hard, and flourished
in the practical environment, we are
proud to be able to say that all those
completing the course this year will
leave having passed their relevant
qualifications. A special mention should
go here to Lewys Bufton and
Ben Philpotts, who are leaving their
Public Services course with no less than a
distinction. Well done boys!
For many of our students, the
opportunity
of
attending
these
vocational courses has enabled them to
make informed choices about their
pathways after Y11 at MCS. Through
the enjoyment and enthusiasm for the
Construction Course, several students
have gone on to apply to further their
skills in the construction trade come
September. One such example is
Jack Moore, who has already been
offered a place on the Bricklaying course
at Hereford College. This enthusiasm
is mirrored in our Animal Care
and Motor Vehicle students, with
Daraywn Skidmore, Verity Harris and
Emily Gleed all deciding to return to
Coleg Gwent for Animal Care and
Agriculture courses with Connor Brine
pursuing an apprenticeship with Audi.
For Stacey Jeffs and Daisy Biggin, the
vocational learning experience has been
slightly different, having successfully
completed their Hair and Beauty
qualifications in working salons. The
reports for these girls have been
outstanding, with both girls hoping to
follow up apprenticeships in the industry
next year.
We are very proud of the achievements
of our vocational students this year, and
wish them every continued success in the
future! Well done everyone!
85
Living and Learning in a New School
“The change from the old school could certainly not go unnoticed.
We had moved from an old building which had survived two World Wars to a very new,
modern concrete building which was to be a typical scene of the sixties and seventies.
It was one of the first buildings of its kind in Monmouth and, most certainly, the largest and it
was the centre of attention. Everyone was talking about it and my friends and I were no
exception. I couldn’t wait to start there: Monmouth Secondary School could be really proud!”
The Monmouth Secondary School Celebration Magazine of 1977
In 1977, Monmouth welcomed
a new school building for its
students. In 2015, at the time of
writing, we are just weeks away
from the ‘ground being broken’
announcing the commencement
of the construction phase of
another brand new school.
Some might see this as the start,
but to misquote one of our more
famous elder statesmen, ‘it’s not
the start but it is, perhaps, the
end of the beginning’.
This year we have seen our
community’s aims, values and
vision ‘morph’ into architectural plans,
artists drawings and computer aided
‘fly throughs’. The School Council has
led a range of consultation processes
within the school and has been
instrumental in ensuring that every
student has had the opportunity to
have their point of view heard and
been able to comment on the
constantly developing plans; from
dining to drama, learning to library
and from toilets to technology.
Sheen on how this once in a lifetime
venture will enhance opportunities for
young people and their families in
Monmouth, now and for decades to
come.
Teaching
teams,
parents
and
governors have all enjoyed engaging
In mid-April the Local Authority
received final confirmation from the
Welsh Government that funding was
now in place in the form of a letter
from Huw Lewis, the Minister for
Education and Skills. An extract from
our deposition to the minister best
encapsulates our vision for learning,
living and achieving in a new school.
with the Monmouthshire County
Council 21st Century School Team led
by Mr Simon Kneafsey and Miss Cath
“The developing curriculum and
reviewed national qualifications are
designed to support the development
86
of core transferable skills that will be
examined and assessed through a
broad range of new qualifications and
settings. The Welsh Baccalaureate and
the new suite of GCSE’s will develop
independent thinkers and problem
solvers. A range of authentic learning
environments are required if students
are to develop, achieve and flourish.
Presentation and performance spaces,
independent learning spaces as well as
IT rich and traditional learning
environments need to be available
flexibly if we are to continue to raise
achievement and respond to students
needs within the school and their
wider community. The walls separating
classrooms need to be broken down,
both metaphorically and literally if we
are to prepare students for learning
and living in the 21st Century and
beyond”.
So, hard hats and high vis jackets at
the ready, let the build begin!
Amanda, Laura, Jay, Jamie
Alex, Luke, Grace
Alice, Caitlyn, Henry
Ben, Alice, Max
Jacob, Nicole, Abbie
Charlotte, Louis, Olivia
Cameron Bradbury
Iwan Roberts
Flo James
Seth Barrett
Hazel Facey
Bradley Smith
Hannah Kay
Hannah Youngmark
Bradley Smith
87
As I start... As I leave...
This year I am reporting a little differently for the final item. I have interviewed
students as they start in Y7 and leave in Y13.
A. Hack
My first year at MCS has exceeded all my expectations. At
first I was a bit intimidated but now I really feel like I fit in.
I’ve enjoyed making friends and taking part in exciting
events such as the school’s mock General Election. I have
relished the freedom and the opportunity to take
responsibility for my own learning and I have learnt
resilience to face every challenge.
Moving school isn’t easy for anyone, especially during the
transition from secondary school to Sixth Form. Joining a year
group of 150 students who are brought together by a five year
friendship is even more challenging. Every single student and every
single teacher was as welcoming as the other. Within weeks, a friend
of mine said to me “James, I forgot you joined at Sixth Form; it feels
like you’ve been here since day one!”
Alice Barrell, 7MD
James Hawkins, 13DA
I was excited but a bit apprehensive because I didn’t
know many people and there were loads of really tall
people. I have fond memories of doing Sweeney Todd
where I made friends from Y7 to Y13. I made really
good friends with Cassie who I do Celtic Group with
and run Fold Group with. We do lots of concerts and I
am the leader of the orchestra. I have really enjoyed my
first year at Monmouth Comprehensive School.
During my time at MCS, I’ve experienced things that I wouldn’t have
done otherwise, such as traveling to Bolivia and developing who I am as
a person. Due to the support and opportunities that I’ve been given, my
lasting impression of MCS is of a school that gives continuous support
allowing you to be the best that you can be.
Bethany Piper, 7TK
When I first started at Monmouth Comprehensive School,
I was very excited. My first lesson was Physical Education
– it was amazing because I love doing football, rugby,
basketball, athletics, longball and rounders. My first friends
were Will and Toby. Since I started maths, I have learned
rotational symmetry.
Thomas Endicott, 7PK
As I have an older sister who came to the school two
years before me, I knew more about MCS before I
joined. I was most excited about the PE experiences
and I was right to be. During the time I have spent at
Monmouth Comprehensive School I have enjoyed so
many of my PE lessons including gymnastics,
swimming rugby, cricket and many more. My first
impression of the school was welcoming but slightly
daunting. I felt more confident coming up to the school
because I had a lot of my primary school friends with
me in my Form.
Chloe Mansell, 13DA
Seven years. All started with a kid; ankle bashers, high strapped bag
and a fear of his head being flushed. Now, a young adult with
confidence on his side. As the last Bowen to walk the corridors, I
say thank you.
Robert Bowen, 13EC
As the end of my seven year attendance at Monmouth Comprehensive
comes to an end, I am sad to say goodbye. This school has let me grow as
a person and to become who I am today. To achieve all that I thought I
could, and strive for the success that I deserve. Along the way I have
made many friends, not only with the students but the staff here. They
have supported me throughout my learning and taught me many things,
not only in lessons but through their friendship and advice on life. So as
I prepare for my next adventure into the world, and say my goodbyes to
the school, my lasting is impression is that I am leaving behind a good
friend in which the people will always hold a special place in my heart.
Paige Lewis, 13CC
This school has taught me that hard work pays off. It has shown me
how to be successful by working independently whilst remaining
part of a larger team. My lasting impression of the school is that
it is a warm and safe place. I will always remember my time here.
Grace Shields, 7JH
Tilly Greenstreet, 13CC
When I started Y7 lots of thoughts came through my mind.
As I met Mrs Gardiner for the first time, I was amazed to
see someone so willing to help everyone that needed it. I met
my friend Joe here and he was so polite. My favourite
subject is music and my music teacher is Miss Manners.
She is helping me to apply to Britain’s got Talent.
Alex Dart, 7TK
My journey has been a real rollercoaster ride. Monmouth
Comprehensive School has been an exciting and enjoyable environment
and without a doubt a school community I would call ‘home’, where I
have made lifelong friends. Although some would say cliché, it has really
given me the incredible tools and valuable experiences for my future, and
it will definitely be hard to leave.
Juliette Hagg, 13JB

the leader 2015 - Monmouth Comprehensive School

Transcription

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